World Wide Technology and Hope Ignites Celebrate 100th WWT Scholar

Since World Wide Technology was founded in 1990, giving back to the communities where we live and work has been a significant part of our culture and business. That commitment takes many forms: charitable partnerships, employee-led volunteer initiatives supported by our Day of Caring benefit, and long-term investment in organizations making a real difference in our communities. 

One example is our partnership with Hope Ignites, a non-profit organization with 14 locations across the United States and Latin America that nurtures and guides motivated young people in need to become well-educated, career-ready men and women. What began as a single scholarship commitment has evolved into a decade-long partnership to support college students in STEM disciplines called the WWT Scholars program. This month, the program celebrated a milestone 10 years in the making: the 100th WWT Scholar. 

 A Decade of Partnership 

In 1977, Jesuit priest Rev. Paul Sheridan and a small group of founders opened a residential home for eight boys in St. Louis, known then as the Jesuit Program of Living and Learning. It grew steadily, opening new sites across the United States and internationally and expanding its services to young women as well. Today, the organization is known as Hope Ignites and serves more than 1,300 young people through residential and academy-based programming. 

David Steward, WWT's Founder and Chairman, has a history of championing charitable causes that support youth in STEM or STEAM. He was inspired by Hope Ignites' work and made a personal commitment in 2016 to support the program. Originally named Steward Scholars, the charitable investment provided scholarships for collegians, with a focus on STEM career networking and leadership development. 

With the support of WWT President Joe Koenig, a former Hope Ignites Network Board Chair and longtime board member, WWT's investment in and involvement with the program grew. Over the last decade, several WWT team members have served on the Hope Ignites Network Board of Directors and the boards of its affiliates. Bob Olwig, WWT's EVP of Partner Alliances, worked with Intel, N50 and Hope Ignites to create an offline, multilingual educational chatbot for underserved regions. Steward Scholars was eventually renamed WWT Scholars to better reflect the company-wide commitment behind it. WWT has also provided in-kind contributions of computers, networking hardware, and software to Hope Ignites affiliate sites. In 2020, Hope Ignites recognized WWT with its Vatterott Award for this sustained partnership.    

The WWT Scholars Program

Each year, the WWT Scholars program gives 25 Hope Ignites collegians access to scholarship funding, professional networking and a direct path toward paid internships in STEM and STEAM fields. 

Scholars receive $3,000 in annual scholarship funding through the Hope Ignites Network Scholarship Fund, split across two semesters, contingent on maintaining a 3.0 GPA. In exchange, scholars commit to professional development throughout the academic year; engaging in Hope Ignites workshops each semester; completing an informational interview with a STEAM professional; and checking in monthly with their WWT Scholars Program Coordinator. All WWT Scholars are invited to apply for paid summer internships at WWT and its partner companies.

A cornerstone of the program is direct access to major STEM professional conferences, including the Women of Color STEM Conference; the Becoming Everything You Are STEM Conference; the newly reimagined AI NEXTGEN America Conference (formerly Waves of Change STEM Global Competitiveness Conference); the Black Data Processing Associates Annual Technology Conference; the Information Technology Senior Management Forum; and the EMERGE Women's Leadership Forum. WWT employees who are recognized at these events for their own achievements in STEM, spend dedicated time with WWT Scholars at each conference, leading small group discussions, discussing their own career paths and sharing professional advice.

Aaron Jackson, a Senior Principal, Management Consulting at WWT had the opportunity to connect with the WWT Scholars at the BEYA STEM Conference. "Having the opportunity to engage with our scholars has been amazing. These students are incredibly talented and driven. Learning from professionals and creating lasting network connections, they take full advantage of these industry events, and it's so inspiring to see! "

We're Just Getting Started! 

With this milestone of 100 WWT scholars, the partnership between World Wide Technology and Hope Ignites continues to be an example of what's possible when a company treats community investment as a long-term commitment rather than a single gesture. What began as a five-year scholarship pledge from David Steward has grown into an expansive and ever-growing mix of board leadership, mentorship, technology donations and a pipeline of talented young professionals stepping into STEM careers with WWT and its partners.

And we're just getting started! As we look forward to the future, we anticipate 100 more doors will open for the next generation of tech professionals. 

Hear their stories!

Cindy Huizar, Metropolitan State University 

"WWT gave me opportunities to connect with experienced professionals. Through the program, I learned how STEM and business come together in the professional world. The program gave me valuable mentorship and insight into what life looks like after college, which has been incredibly meaningful to me as a first-generation recent graduate navigating the corporate world. As I continue to grow professionally, I carry the advice and lessons I received throughout my four years in the program with me."

Godson Blaise, New York University (NYU)

"The WWT Scholars program has been a big resource in my educational and career journey. It offers a unique perspective into valuable opportunities in different career paths. This exposure to these careers in business and technology fields is helping shape my goals and career trajectory. WWT is encouraging me to think beyond the traditional workplace and is helping to inspire me to be more intentional about the career I want to build."

Felicia Leung, University of California Irvine

"Being selected as a WWT Scholar means being trusted to represent Hope Ignites' core values while gaining exposure to the STEM field through workshops and mentorship, opportunities that are possible because of this program. It also affirms that my work ethic and commitment to service-learning have been recognized. I am most excited to network with STEM professionals at conferences like the AI NEXTGEN America Conference and BEYA because I'm eager to learn and see what paths are available to me in the future!"

Medan Mamo, WWT Scholar Alumni and WWT Employee

"I did everything I thought I was supposed to do. I lived in the library, sat in the front row of every class, and maintained a 4.0 GPA. But I quickly learned that hard work alone wasn't enough. I needed connections. I needed a bridge.

The WWT Scholars Program became that bridge. It helped me secure an internship with World Wide Technology's Data Science team during my senior year of college, which ultimately led to a full-time management consulting role after graduation.

That opportunity completely changed the trajectory of my life. I came from one of the lowest-performing high schools in Colorado, and Hope Ignites gave me the support I needed to succeed in college. Then, as I prepared to enter the professional world, the WWT Scholars Program became that next bridge, helping me turn my education into a career.

Today, I'm consulting for Fortune 100 companies, performing data analysis, building automation solutions, and supporting massive data center transformations. The exposure, skills, and experiences I've gained throughout my career all trace back to the doors this program helped open.

I had the drive. The WWT Scholars Program gave me the opportunity to turn it into a career."