Supporting the Next Generation of Developers

Every school day, hundreds of students from dozens of neighborhoods around Chicago gather in high school classes they hope will serve as launchpads into futures as developers, digital leaders, and difference-makers. The tech-focused principles and skills they’ve come to study at Chicago Tech Academy (ChiTech)—in classes like engineering design, computer programming, entrepreneurship, and web design—are rungs in the academic ladders these teens are climbing to college, leadership positions, and successful careers.  

Chicago Tech Academy students are bright and motivated, but many face significant challenges. More than 90% come from families with low incomes and more than 1 in 10 are counted as homeless, according the Illinois Report Card for 2015-2016. To support these kids and help them work toward their goals, Syncfusion is happy to be partnering with the software review site G2 Crowd to raise funds for the school’s programs. Simply by writing a review, Syncfusion users can play an integral role in the campaign.

Image Courtesy of ChiTech

As part of its charitable initiative called G2 Gives, G2 Crowd has agreed to donate $10 to the school for each review written by a Syncfusion user. In addition to those funds, Syncfusion will match the first 50 reviews posted through the campaign. A few minutes of a Syncfusion user’s time will mean up to $20 for the unique tech and entrepreneurship programs students come to ChiTech for.

The Chicago Tech Academy difference
ChiTech’s well-rounded college prep curriculum features a special emphasis on STEM-related coursework and a project-based approach to learning. Key to the program is the integration of the classroom with the real world; internships with local companies help students apply what they learn in the classroom and provide experiences that give students a solid start in the professional world. ChiTech students also have opportunities to form relationships with mentors from their local tech and business communities, and take behind-the-scenes field trips to tech companies around Chicago. All that happens alongside the athletics, traditional classes, student-led groups, and arts opportunities that make for a full high school experience.

But it takes resources, and ChiTech faces a major funding gap. As the school’s website notes, local, state, and federal funding allocates $10,275 per student to the school, but the true cost to educate a student is $14,000. ChiTech seeks to stretch its funds by operating “like a lean start-up,” but to offer kids the technology, enrichment programs, and teachers it wants to, it still has to make up financial ground. Syncfusion and G2 Crowd are excited to be a part of that effort.

How can you help?

• Write a review to unlock a donation! Share your thoughts on a Syncfusion product you’ve used. The form is brief and you can provide your opinion anonymously or tie it to your name. Start from the Syncfusion and G2 Gives page to have your contribution counted.
• Write another! Reviews can be posted for Essential Studio®’s web, mobile, and desktop components, as well as our Dashboard Platform and Big Data Platform. Each accepted submission will result in a donation of at least $10 to ChiTech!
• Tell your colleagues. If your teammate down the hall used a Syncfusion license in the last two years, let them know they can participate and point them to the fundraising page.

Just by sharing their opinions of and experiences with Syncfusion’s products and services, developers can impact students’ educations and lives in a concrete way. The reviews themselves will guide Syncfusion in its continual effort to improve its users’ experiences, and they will also help other developers make educated decisions when evaluating solutions. It’s a win-win-win-win scenario, and we can’t wait to see the results!

Contribute by sharing your experience
To support Chicago Tech Academy’s students, just visit this page and write a review of a Syncfusion product. G2 Crowd will donate $10 to the school for each qualifying review, and Syncfusion will match the first 50 donations dollar for dollar.

Learn more about the school
More details on the school, its students, and its programs are available on ChiTech’s site.