Avnet Tech Games … Results that Matter

Another really successful Avnet Tech Games is behind us … be sure and see our YouTube video that is posted to the Avnet Tech Game homepage.

Once again, I am just amazed at how inspiring it is to be around these students.  And, every year, a whole bunch of really cool things happen, yet, there always seems to be one thing that really stands out more than anything else.

The Avnet Tech Games are not just about providing scholarships to students.  We have a formal Networking Hour where students get a chance to meet “captains of industry.”  We are doing this to give the students a chance to practice their networking skills but they can also use this as an opportunity to stand out from the crowd.  Some of the really enterprising students have even parlayed this into internships and jobs.

This year, we have an example of how the Networking Hour turned into, what I am calling, a career opportunity.

This year, the scholarship money we provided to the students came from a charitable donation
the Avnet Tech Games received from the Carstens Family Fund, a fund administered by local philanthropist and community leader, Deborah Carstens.  She donated $50,000 in scholarship and honorarium money.  Really cool, right?  It gets even cooler.

Deborah attended the Avnet Tech Games, watched the students compete and also participated in our Networking Hour.  Sometime during the day, she met a student whom she hired to create a logo for the Carstens Family Fund.  Because of the Tech Games, a student now has an opportunity to do so professional work in his chosen field.  And knowing Deborah the way I do, I’m sure that while she is working with him, she will make sure he meets all kinds of wonderful people.  Who knows where his career will go from here!

So, kudos to Deborah Carstens for being the wonderful person she is, kudos to this student for working it, and kudos to all of the students who participated in the Avnet Tech Games.

And, a very special set of kudos to the students and faculty who won that $50,000 in prize money that the Carstens Family Fund provided to us.  For the list of winning students, click here.