Virtual Students find Tech-Based Solutions to Problems in Their Community

A student-led team from Indiana Digital Learning School (INDLS) showed off their entrepreneurial skills and won the national SuitUp Take on Tech challenge on April 27. The INDLS team designed an app called Food Haven that connects restaurants, grocery stores, and other businesses with homeless shelters and food banks to mitigate food waste.

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Competitors in the Take On Tech competition were tasked with designing an app or technological device that will address an issue in the student team’s community. Teams were coached by volunteers from tech companies, including Snap, Inc., Amazon Web Services, TJX Companies, and Salesforce Greenhouse Software, and Seeq, who helped the teams refine their ideas, develop their brand, and execute their business pitches.

Indiana Digital Learning School’s winning design addressed food insecurity within their community. According to Feeding America, 1 in 9 people in Indiana face hunger; children are more likely to be affected with a reported 204,290 Indiana children experiencing hunger. The team was selected as the finalist that represented the Midwest region against the Western and Southern region finalists. The final round was judged by executives from TJX Companies, Fetch Rewards, Snap, Inc., and SuitUp.

"Stride greatly values the Capstone learning experiences curated by SuitUp and their challenges are the perfect way for students to showcase a project, demonstrate learned skills and receive industry specific feedback near the end of a Stride powered Project Based Learning experience," says Nicholas Sutherland, Director of Career Learning at Stride.

SuitUp is a nonprofit that strives to increase career readiness for all students with innovative business plan competitions that give students the access and awareness to pursue both college and career opportunities of their choosing. Through their challenges, students learn about business strategies and master professional soft skills. By the end of the events, students have a deeper understanding of the corporate world and see it as part of their own.

Executive Director, Lauren Reilly, shared “SuitUp is intentional in the way we approach virtual learning and the outcomes we drive. And we don’t take that charge lightly. Take on Tech is our commitment to providing high quality, student-centered immersive experiences that drive career readiness outcomes. Through the program, we are bridging the opportunity gap between the corporate world and the realm of virtual schooling. We are proud that we can bring amazing corporate partners to the table to ensure that all students, regardless of where they live and what computer they log on from, have the awareness, access, and opportunity to pursue the college and career of their choosing.”

Fifteen Stride-powered schools from around the country competed in the Take on Tech challenge. The winning team from Indiana Digital Learning School is comprised of students Prabanjan J., Jayahni K., Charli H., Jordon V., Joseph B., Kiana D., Steven M., and Natasha B.

For more information about Stride, Inc., the leading provider of online and blended education programs, please visit stridelearning.com. To learn more about SuitUp’s initiatives, please visit volunteersuitup.com.

About Stride, Inc.

At Stride, Inc. (NYSE: LRN), we are reimagining learning—where learning is lifelong, deeply personal, and prepares learners for tomorrow. The company has transformed millions of people’s teaching and learning experiences by providing innovative, high-quality, tech-enabled education solutions, curriculum, and programs directly to students, schools, the military, and enterprises in primary, secondary, and postsecondary settings. Stride is a premier provider of K-12 education for students, schools, and districts, including career learning services through middle and high school curriculum. For adult learners, Stride delivers professional skills training in healthcare and technology, as well as staffing and talent development for Fortune 500 companies. Stride has delivered millions of courses over the past decade and serves learners in all 50 states and more than 100 countries. The company is a proud sponsor of the Future of School, a nonprofit organization dedicated to closing the gap between the pace of technology and the pace of change in education. More information can be found at stridelearning.com, K12.com, galvanize.com, techelevator.com, and medcerts.com.

About SuitUp

SuitUp is a 501(c)(3) education non-profit that increases career awareness for all students through innovative business plan competitions. SuitUp’s vision is to align the incentives of schools and corporations to ensure that all students have the access and awareness to pursue the college and career of their choosing. Since inception, SuitUp has served over 14,000 students and 11,00+ volunteers, partnering with companies like Amazon, Goldman Sachs, Snapchat, Salesforce, and more.

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