Two Miami Residents Selected for $10,000 Wyncode Academy's Future Leaders of Tech Scholarship

Online, September 16, 2015 (Newswire.com) - Wyncode Academy today announced that two Miami residents have been selected for the Future Leaders of Tech scholarship. The two candidates are the first of nine students that will receive scholarships to the program over the next year.

The recipients are: Arielle Dickey & Henry Arbolaez.

Funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the $10,000 Future Leaders of Tech scholarship covers tuition costs to attend Wyncode Academy's Immersive Web Development program. The aim of the scholarship is to increase access to the fast growing Miami Tech ecosystem for under represented groups, in particular those from low income neighborhoods in Miami Dade county.

"The future growth of Miami's innovation ecosystem relies on the ability to build a community of entrepreneurs that reflects the diversity of our city," says Matt Haggman the Miami program director for The Knight Foundation. "Wyncode Academy's intensive nine week Immersive Web Development program gives participants the skills necessary to begin a career in coding" says our co-founder Juha Mikkola.

Individuals interested in the Future Leaders of Tech scholarship are encouraged to apply online at www.wyncode.co/futureleaders

The two finalists were selected by a panel of Miami-based judges including: Brian Brackeen, CEO of Kairos a company specializing in facial recognition software; Kiesha Moodie the Director of Alumni Engagement for Teach For America; and Widny St. Louis, a Wyncode alumni who overcame significant barriers to begin his career as a web developer at TouchSuite. The panel interviewed the top five candidates out of nearly one hundred total applications and selected the two winners based on their motivation, determination, ambition and future goals.

"I'm over the moon excited to be playing a role in the Knight Foundation Future Leaders Scholarship selection process. I have seen firsthand, the impact that Wyncode has on lives, and families here in Miami. We are not just talking about a highly marketable skill, we are talking about ending the cycle of poverty in affected communities. The leadership of the Knight Foundation, and of Johanna, Juha, and team Wyncode is exactly what makes #MiamiTech so special. We are one community, with one goal, - a better Miami." said Brian Brackeen.

Upon completion of Wyncode Academy's nine week intensive course Wyncode graduates pitch their projects at Pitch Day to hundreds of Miami Tech leaders. The Wyncoders will also meet with Wyncode's growing fleet of hiring partners. The network is nearing 150 companies and the current job placement rate for students is 90% within three months of graduation. Wyncode's hiring partners are successful tech companies in search of intelligent thinkers to join their exponentially growing teams, including companies like Watsco Ventures, MDLIVE, Kipu Systems, CareCloud and Cloud Logistics. The next Wyncode Academy cohorts begin on September 21st, 2015 in Miami and October 5th, 2015 in Ft. Lauderdale.

About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
The Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. The foundation believes that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged.

About Wyncode Academy
Wyncode Academy immerses ambitious individuals in a demanding and inspiring learning environment engineered to develop successful coders with business acumen. Since May 2014, Wyncode Academy has graduated 138 students who have gone on to work at 39 South Florida tech companies and start nine start ups of their own. Wyncode Academy has campuses in Wynwood in Miami and FATvillage in Ft. Lauderdale.

Source URL: http://prweb.com/releases/2015/09/prweb12963952.htm