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The City of Minneapolis STEP-UP program partnered for a second year
with the Silicon North Stars, a nonprofit organization founded by Google
employees Steve and Mary Grove.
Silicon North Stars is an experiential education program that gives a
group of high-potential incoming ninth-graders (eight from Minneapolis STEP-UP
and eight from St. Paul high schools) the opportunity to spend a week in
California's Silicon Valley, learning about technology from some of the top
tech companies and startups in the world.
Steve Grove, who grew up in Northfield Minnesota said, “We felt like we
can make the biggest impact with students who show a lot of promise but may not
have as much opportunity.”
The group spent the week of July 26th visiting Google, Facebook, YouTube,
Indiegogo, and several tech
startups. Mid-week they shifted gears
and learned about design thinking and created a tech solution to a problem
posed to them. At the end of the week they pitched their start-up ideas to
Silicon Valley tech leaders at an event in San Francisco.
“I feel more inspired in high school to work hard and get good grades,”
Camryn Franke, 14, said. “Now I feel like I can reach my goals.”
Learn more about the program here.
 Top: Silicon North Star group at FaceBook; Middle Left:
Students brainstorming ideas for new companies; Middle Right: Students in class
session; Bottom: Students participating in activities at Stanford University
The Governor's Workforce Development Board is seeking 15 business
leaders to fill open board positions.
Members must come from businesses that provide employment and training
opportunities that include high‐quality, work‐relevant training, and
development opportunities in the in‐demand industry sectors of health care and
social assistance, construction, business and professional services, and manufacturing or natural resources (agriculture and mining). Private
sector representatives must either be the owner or CEO of the
business or an executive with optimum policy-making or hiring authority.
Representatives of small business, minority‐owned and women‐owned
businesses are encouraged to apply.
The board consists of 41 voting members and the full board for FY
2015‐16 will meet quarterly, at a minimum.
For full details and to apply by August 25th, click here.
On Monday, August 10, STEP-UP, hosted its 12th annual intern graduation
event at the Guthrie Theater. At the event, Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges and
STEP-UP Co-chairs R.T. Rybak, Executive
Director of Generation Next and Richard Davis, President and CEO of U.S. Bank,
announced the 2015 Employer, Intern and Supervisor of the Year awards.
The event was hosted by STEP-UP Alumni Matthew Vue, with reflections
from STEP-UP interns Abdirahim Mohamed and Lor Vang. The graduation
featured a performance by Toki Wright, a former City of Minneapolis intern, now
a musician, radio host, educator, and community organizer. In addition, Iny
Asian Dance Group and Asian Media Access performed two Asian-American dance
fusion numbers featuring six STEP-UP interns.
2015 Employer of the Year
- Pillsbury United Communities
- Xcel Energy
2015 Intern of the Year
- Imani Evege, Minneapolis Public Housing Authority
- Logan Allen, Little Earth of United Tribes
- Jessie Vang, Ebenezer
- Juan Sanchez Garcia, U.S. Bank
2015 Supervisor of the Year
- Marques Bates , Community Bridge
- Tina Johnson, Minneapolis Public Housing Authority
- Diane Collins, HealthPartners
- Colin Owens, Metropolitan Council
 Top Left: Audience watching performance by Toki Wright; Top
Right: Mayor Hodges talks about the importance of STEP-UP interns in the 21st
Century; Bottom: Ribbon Dance performance by Iny Asian Dance Theater and Asian
Media Access
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