((PKG)) KENZIE TECH ACADEMY
(Banner: Spreading Technology))
((Reporter: Carolyn Presutti))
((Camera: Mike Burke, Deana Mitchell))
((Adapted by: Zdenko Novacki))
((Map: Indianapolis, Indiana))
((COURTNEY SPENCE, CO-FOUNDER, KENZIE ACADEMY))
Indianapolis – Indy - is a terrific city. It's on the cusp of what we are seeing as being a tech boom. There’s a lot of companies that have moved in, SalesForce being one of them. There’s a lot of opportunity and there’s a lot of hunger amongst those people that live in Indy, but also across the state, to get into technological fields, to become developers and coders.
((STEVE HERSHBERGER, BEER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM))
For Indianapolis proper, to be successful, we have to have the world’s best coders and engineers. And they have to have the right type of experience. Let me tell you, the big universities used to train for that. They don't train for it today.
((ANGELA SMITH JONES, INDIANAPOLIS DEPUTY MAYOR))
We are really a great city. We have so much to offer that very often people don’t know until they come here. We also have a lot of talent and opportunities here. So many strong universities in the city of Indianapolis. And then, right next door, we have Perdue University, Indiana University, Rose Hulman, Notre Dame, ISU. So the talent is very close as well as within the city. So, it’s really a great energetic place.
((STEVE HERSHBERGER, BEER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM))
The thing that I’ve come to appreciate about the Kenzie Academy is the approach and the style is very Silicon Valley, but it’s not. It’s Midwest.
((COURTNEY SPENCE, CO-FOUNDER, KENZIE ACADEMY))
Kenzie Academy is really addressing a gap that we saw in Indy that is providing a different form of education that can put more senior developers into the market more quickly.
((MYA WILLIAMS, STUDENT, KENZIE ACADEMY))
After I graduate Kenzie, I hope to take my skills and apply them in some type of health care discipline.
((KAVITHA KAMALBABU, STUDENT, KENZIE ACADEMY))
I learned about Kenzie and I really like their idea and the main thing which attracted us (is) project-based learning, where you do life projects. You work on life projects and you get that experience.
((COURTNEY SPENCE, CO-FOUNDER, KENZIE ACADEMY))
We have really seen the role that technology has played in both accelerating certain communities and decelerating other communities. And I think we have a real strong commitment to using technology to address inequality, using technology to bridge gaps. I think we’ve seen in the recent history of our country here that there is a disparity, there is a division and really ultimately what the Kenzie Academy is doing is trying to provide tech forward education to communities that don’t have access to it.
