Graduates of the 2011 Cycle 13 class at their pinning ceremony on January 26, 2012

The week of January 23, 2012 saw back to back pinning ceremonies at Per Scholas, celebrating the hard work and achievements of two new graduating classes of IT students. Both classes launched last fall and completed at least 15 weeks of rigorous, hands-on technology training and certification test preparation. One of them was comprised primarily of U.S. veteran students, in a program funded by Microsoft.

The pinning ceremony is a Per Scholas tradition that marks the transition from students to alumni and the beginning of a new chapter in life. In addition to receiving pins and certificates to honor their completion of the program, graduates take a career pledge and “pass the torch” by lighting candles symbolizing their commitment to helping others.

The Cycle 13 class was especially honored to welcome Aaron Glover, Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, who spoke about the special challenges and strengths of veterans reintegrating into the civilian world.

Below is an assortment of photos taken at both ceremonies.

Plinio Ayala, President and CEO of Per Scholas is joined by staff and U.S. veteran students in ringing the Closing Bell at the New York Stock Exchange on December 21, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Ben Hider/NYSE Euronext)

Per Scholas was especially honored over the holidays to ring the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange in the countdown to the new year. We are grateful to NYSE/Euronext, one of Per Scholas’ most loyal supporters, for this wonderful experience.

Joining CEO Plinio Ayala were staff and students enrolled in the Per Scholas Institute for Technology’s Veteran’s Program. Funded by Microsoft through its Elevate America initiative, the program offers targeted recruiting, enrollment, IT training, job placement and support services to U.S. veterans, especially those who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is designed to reduce highly disproportionate rates of unemployment in this population, by giving students the skills and resources that they need to be successful in today’s workplace.

Per Scholas last rang the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange to celebrate its 15th anniversary, in 2009.

Four recent graduates are featured in "I Am Someone...", a short video about their lives before and after their training at Per Scholas.

UPDATE: The “I Am Someone” holiday campaign has launched! Please visit the Per Scholas page on Razoo.com to join in — it’s easy and takes just a minute. Be sure to check out the video of our graduates talking about the impact of Per Scholas in their lives.

Per Scholas is proud to launch the “I Am Someone” campaign.

The campaign is celebrating the achievements of Per Scholas graduates and program participants while building a new base of support for the agency’s work.

The campaign will have two parts. Between November 2011 and January 2012, it will focus on raising dollars from individuals through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social networking sites. In the spring, more than 400 business leaders and friends of Per Scholas are expected to join our 2012 “I Am Someone” annual gala.

Please stay tuned for further announcements!

Click the photo to hear acceptance remarks by Per Scholas graduate Delkys Ortiz Pena (hosted by Vimeo)

Per Scholas is the very proud recipient of a 2011 Heroes Award from Robin Hood Foundation.

The award “celebrates the people and organizations who have made extraordinary contributions in the fight against poverty” in New York City, and comes with a $50,000 prize.

Recent graduate Delkys Ortiz Pena represented Per Scholas at the 22nd annual Heroes Awards Breakfast on November 10th. Robin Hood chose Delkys for the honor because of his inspiring story of achievement against the odds.

Delkys was born in the Dominican Republic. Abused by his father and trying to manage his own epileptic seizures, Delkys and the rest of his family made it to the U.S. But the best job Delkys could find to help support them was at McDonalds.

Delkys connected with Per Scholas earlier this year through a social worker. He enrolled in the Per Scholas Institute for Technology and graduated second in his June 2011 class. Now he is working for a midtown Manhattan technology company on client IT issues. His epilepsy is under control and he is helping put his sister through college. For Robin Hood, Delkys’ success story — like that of so many Per Scholas graduates — is “indisputable proof that the American Dream still lives.”

Per Scholas is deeply grateful to Robin Hood Foundation for the honor, and for all its continuing support. We salute Delkys and hundreds of others who transform their lives at Per Scholas each year.

A team of volunteers from Goldman Sachs led a recent workshop for students enrolled in the Per Scholas Institute for Technology.

Skilled IT volunteers from more than a dozen large New York City-area corporations are routine visitors to the Per Scholas classroom, where they play a major role preparing students to get a job and succeed in the professional workplace.

In addition to technology presentations, the visits focus on developing students’ job search skills, with resume-writing workshops and mock interviews. Volunteers also host end-of-day panel sessions to discuss their own development as IT professionals and to answer students’ many questions.

Students do their homework for these sessions, often coming prepared with specific questions about the volunteers’ companies. “How many interviews did you each have to go to, before you got the job?” one student asked the panel visiting from Goldman Sachs, eliciting knowing chuckles about the company’s long employee vetting process.

Some of the other corporate volunteer teams visiting Per Scholas recently include Capital One, Google, Neuberger Berman,the Parris Foundation, PIMCO, theladders.com and Viacom. To learn how to involve people from your company, please contact Elias Naser (enaser@perscholas.org).

One of the graduates of 2011 training Cycle 7, an all-women class

The Per Scholas Institute for Technology recently celebrated the graduation of the second all-women’s class in its history.

At a September 26, 2011, pinning ceremony in our South Bronx training center, 16 diverse women graduates proudly joined thousands of other Per Scholas alumni, having passed a rigorous 15-week training program that set them on the path to becoming certified IT professionals.

One of the chief guests of honor was Rebecca S. Callahan, Public Affairs Specialist at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), who spoke movingly to the graduates about the unique challenges and opportunities facing women professionals in the IT world.

The Women’s Program at Per Scholas is a pilot effort funded by the Liz Claiborne Foundation. It offers a  tailored and supportive learning environment for women students who might not otherwise be able to attend Per Scholas, due to challenges like having to support and care for other family members. The program also works to enliven women’s interest in technology careers, preparing them to succeed and to lead in a field once practically reserved for men.

The Women’s Program is actively recruiting women IT professionals to volunteer in the program as mentors, guest lecturers and in other key roles. For more information, please contact Jessicah White:  jwhite@perscholas.org.

Students at Bronx P.S. 73 wait to go on stage before a poetry recital, one of the festivities at the school's Laptop Replacement Celebration.

Thanks to Per Scholas and two of our generous corporate partners, students, staff and teachers had something to celebrate at P.S. 73, a Bronx elementary school just a baseball’s throw away from Yankee Stadium.

The school made headlines last spring when all the laptops in its computer labs were stolen. It wasn’t clear if the equipment could be replaced in time for the new school year, so Per Scholas stepped in.

We told the school’s story to two of our corporate partners, JPMorgan Chase and Prudential, and they immediately agreed to replace the stolen machines. Over the summer, staff in our Recovery and Access program division worked with both companies to receive more than 180 donated laptop computers and install them at the school.

The first all-student assembly of the school year was a boisterous celebration of the new equipment. Highlights included a poetry recital and presentations by schoolchildren, along with remarks by Plinio Ayala, Per Scholas’ CEO; Barbara Chang, Executive Vice President of Per Scholas; JPMorgan Chase executive Richard Anfang; Prudential executive John Fox; Bronx Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Lenny Caro; and Principal Jean Mirvil.

Per Scholas joins the students, faculty and staff of P.S. 73 in thanking JPMorgan Chase and Prudential for their help.

Students, program participants, volunteers and staff ring the closing bell at NASDAQ on August 25, 2011.

See more pictures below.

Per Scholas outside the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York's Times Square

During the event, the jumbo screens on the Nasdaq MarketSite tower feature Per Scholas.

The Per Scholas logo flashes on screens inside the NASDAQ Marketsite.