Hundreds of Information Technology Academy (ITA) community members attended the 18th Annual Holiday Luncheon on Saturday, December 10, 2016, where students showcased their work and CIO Bruce Maas gave the keynote address.
ITA includes the ITA Madison program and the two ITA’s Tribal Technology Institute (ITA-TTI) programs in Oneida and Lac du Flambeau. In addition to the 150 high school students in the ITA programs, families, tutors, mentors and staff also attended the celebration.
The Holiday Luncheon program featured students’ projects from the fall, including sound design, video production, photography and website design. Videos below highlight some of this work. ITA students also shared their artistic talents through hip hop dance and classical music performances.
A 2016 graduate of ITA, Alonso del Rio, delivered the annual ITA alumni speech. Del Rio proved a trustworthy role model as he shared how he made the most of ITA and currently is seeking his undergraduate degree at UW-Madison.
Outgoing Vice Provost for Information Technology and CIO at UW-Madison, Bruce Maas, delivered the keynote address. In addition to congratulating ITA students and their families for their commitment to the program, Maas shared with ITA students the importance of diversity in technology. “You, our ITA class, represent the next generation of diverse college students,” Maas told ITA students. “We desperately need you, because there is irrefutable research evidence that diverse teams outperform teams that look and think alike. Translated, that means that your engagement will make businesses and our country stronger and more successful. And our country needs that. Always remember this.”
Part of DoIT Academic Technology, ITA is an intensive pre-college outreach program with the goal of increasing enrollment rates of diverse students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. ITA students receive three or four years of intensive technology coursework and academic support for successful university admissions and study.
Videos about ITA Projects
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Video about ITA Madison students developing applications
Video showcasing photography and graphic design projects done by ITA Madison Class of 2020, ITA-TTI Oneida Class of 2019 and ITA-TTI Lac du Flambeau Class of 2019