We had a blast with Year Up Boston members last Friday at our annual #YouthSpark Live event at Microsoft New England. 200+ aspiring young adults poured into the building filled with vigor and poised for learning all they could about how to shape their future — and we welcome that kind of drive with open arms here at Microsoft. Truth be told, when the day was done, Year Up had inspired us.
Cambridge Mayor David Maher kicked off the day with a moving welcome about Year Up members having the chance to change the future of our city and the world, and reminding all that some of the most important drivers of success are staying focused and setting goals. Next, CEO and co-founder of QONQR Scott Davis gave an awesome keynote about what it takes it be an entrepreneur. His main advice? Work hard and “get stuff done.” We then had the pleasure of hearing from Eric Oddleifson, Director of Assistive Technology & Employment Services for Microsoft partner Easter Seals Massachusetts. Eric has used technology to help countless people with disabilities over the past 15 years.
The Year Up Boston group then split up and headed out to a series of rotating workshops, including:
- Using Social Media to Further Your Career with Metter Media (Lauren Metter, Lyssa Goldberg, Sarah Ribeiro)
- Creative Music Workshop: Creating Original Piece of Music in Music Maker Jam (Allison Knight, Michael Russell, Michelle Medeiros, Lisa Casillo, Microsoft Store Advisors)
- Future of Technology – Microsoft Envisioning Center Demonstration (Hitakshi Nanavaty & Chad Gronbach, Microsoft tech professionals)
- Coding Workshop with Construct 2 (Gavin Bauman, Tech Evangelist)
Here are some social media posts from the day, and we can’t wait to see what careers these passionate Year Up members create for themselves!
Great to be at #YouthSpark at @MSNewEngland with students from #CambMA! @cambridge_cpsd @YearUp @YearUpBoston pic.twitter.com/hinia28LfM
— David Maher (@MayorDavidMaher) March 27, 2015
#cambridgemade #YouthSpark #LCAspire pic.twitter.com/KDM3qYbDua — TAURUS est. MAY 5TH (@3lettersCMB) March 27, 2015
What does it take to be a good #entrepreneur? “Get. Stuff. Done.” – @scottkdavis, @QONQR | @YearUpBoston #YouthSpark pic.twitter.com/55fFjCQOP7
— Microsoft NewEngland (@MSNewEngland) March 27, 2015
“An entrepreneur is a determined, resilient, confident, fearless, and creative champion.” @scottkdavis #YouthSpark @MSNewEngland — Year Up Boston (@YearUpBoston) March 27, 2015
Don’t be afraid to try new things. #YouthSpark #LC_ @yearupboston @MSNewEngland, @MSFTCitizenship #LCBelieve pic.twitter.com/c9tJpVhRWA
— Francoise Nyiraneza (@fnyiraneza) March 27, 2015
Teaching @YearUp members about using #socialmedia to further your career today at #YouthSpark Live at @MSNewEngland! pic.twitter.com/L1AH9saIHF — Metter Media (@mettermedia) March 27, 2015
At Microsoft headquarters #youthspark #LCAspire @yearupboston @MSNewEngland, @msftcitizenship (LC_3) pic.twitter.com/bw861R6fIX
— Ernie (@E_Johnson17) March 27, 2015
It was really cool getting to poke around Microsoft today. Feeling inspired. @YearUpBoston @mettermedia @MSNewEngland #LCAspire A photo posted by @bud_bambooda on
To learn more about Microsoft’s commitment to youth and education, visit our YouthSpark Hub or follow us on twitter at @msftcitizenship.