$1M Workforce Ready Grant Kicks Off with event showcasing scholarships, mentorship and community building

The Knight Campus Graduate Internship Program (KCGIP) (Stacey York, Principal Investigator) has been awarded a Workforce Ready: Innovation in Workforce Programs Grant totaling $1,039,835 to support a pathway for low-income students to enter the high-tech and manufacturing sectors. Funding will expand the $4.3M NSF Oregon Pathways to Industry Research Careers program which supports students as they move from community college to UO for their baccalaureate and master’s from the Knight Campus Graduate Internship Program.

The first event funded by the Workforce Ready grant was the 2023 Internfest – a day-long event at the Knight Campus attended by over 50 LCC, UCC, COCC and UO students, faculty, and staff. During the event, attendees learned about the expanded scholarship, mentorship, and research opportunities that will be available through the Workforce Ready Grant. Throughout the day, students built community with peers interested in pursuing a degree in physics, chemistry, and biochemistry, while hearing from a panel of KCGIP alumni who shared advice about being successful in school and the workplace.

Panelists included:

  • Michelle Regotti, 2019 KCGIP Semiconductor track, Metrology Process Engineer at HP
  • Jake Soto, 2010 KCGIP Semiconductor Track, Principal Engineer, Research & Development at Microchip
  • Sorfina Suzali, 2021 KCGIP Polymer track, Scientist II at Seran Bioscience
  • Kayla Zamora, 2019 KCGIP Molecular Sensors Track, Sr Analytical Chemist at Actylis

When reflecting on the event, alumnus Jake Soto noted “simply giving guidance to future Ducks made me feel like I’m giving back to society in a meaningful way.”

The Workforce Ready Grant was awarded by the Higher Education Coordination Commission as part of Future Ready Oregon, a comprehensive program established by the passage of Senate Bill 1545 that supports the education and training of Oregonians for meaningful careers in healthcare, manufacturing, and technology industries while prioritizing historically underserved and vulnerable populations.

 

KCGIP alumni panelists share information on how they landed careers in high-tech and manufacturing.

 

Internfest attendees engage in a Q&A with panelists.

Career panelists, staff, students and faculty network on the main floor of the Knight Campus.