Robert
“Steve” Miller honored at Futures
and Options’
fifth annual Dream
Big gala
Djassi Julien from the High School for
Math, Science and Engineering Harlem and Kayla Mackie from
Millennium High School in Lower Manhattan also Awarded
Scholarships
New York,
NY (October 27, 2015) –
Robert “Steve” Miller, President and CEO of International
Automotive Components (IAC) Group, received the Dream Big
Award from Futures and Options at its fifth annual “Dream
Big – A Celebration of Opportunity” event
held at the Plaza Hotel yesterday.
Futures and Options is a non-profit
organization that provides underserved New York City
students with career readiness training, professional
mentors, and paid internship opportunities. Djassi Julien
from the High School for Math, Science and Engineering in
Harlem and Kayla Mackie from Millennium High School in Lower
Manhattan were awarded scholarships at Dream Big, which
r raised over $725,000 to support Futures and Options’
programs.
“The investment in young people’s
professional development and experiences, is a cause with an
infinite future,” said Dream Big honoree, Steve Miller.
“When businesses support and partner with Futures and
Options they help build a stronger and more diverse work
force. This is an organization that teaches students
confidence through hard work and opens up the business world
to a special talent pool.”
Miller joins a distinguished group of
business leaders who have received The Dream Award for going
above and beyond in helping students develop professional
skills and achieve their career goals. Past award recipients
include representatives of: Goldman Sachs, Evercore Partners
Restructuring and Debt Advisory Group, AlixPartners LLP,
Kirkland & Ellis LLP, The Municipal Forum of New York, New
York Tech Meetup and Personal Democracy Media, Siebert
Brandford Shank & Co., L.L.C., and the NYC Office of the
Public Advocate and The Fund for Public Advocacy.
“We are so very proud of all of our
students, who are motivated and determined to achieve
their goals,” said Executive Director Patty Machir. “The
value of early work experience is immeasurable, and when
businesses partner with Futures and Options to provide
opportunities for young people, everyone truly
benefits.”
At its heart, the event is a celebration
and recognition of Futures and Options students. Each
year, the organization awards college scholarships to
high school seniors through a competitive application
and selection process. This year, the Barbara L.
Christen College Scholarship, named in honor of the
organization’s founder, was awarded to Djassi Julien
from the High School for Math, Science and Engineering.
“It’s important to me that everyone have access to
computer science,” says Julien, who started an
organization called Young Hackers and hopes to work in
Silicon Valley as a Front End Web Developer.
The IPG Mediabrands Scholarship and
Internship, sponsored by IPG Mediabrands for students
interested in careers in media and advertising, was
awarded to Kayla Mackie from Millennium High School. Mackie’s
dream is, “to obtain a degree in communications and work
in a position that will reach those who may be
unreachable, connect the disconnected, and encourage
those who are discouraged.”
ABOUT
FUTURES AND OPTIONS
Since 1995, Futures and Options has
empowered New York City's underserved youth to explore
careers through career development and paid, mentored
internships. Futures and Options reaches out to teens at
a formative time of their lives, guiding them to further
their education and become contributing citizens. Our
model program enables New York's underserved youth to
gain much-needed access to the economic mainstream,
work-readiness training and support from caring adults.
At the same time, private and nonprofit businesses are
connected to a pipeline of promising, motivated and
diverse young people. Since its inception, Futures and
Options has served over 5,000 New York City youth, and
partnered with over 500 businesses. In 2015, 98% of
Futures and Options students graduated from high school
on time vs. 66% of NYC public school students; and 93%
of Futures and Options students were college bound. 99%
of supervisors said they would hire an intern again
through Futures and Options.
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