Bridging Passion with Purpose at Tech Impact - Kate White's Volunteer Story
Connecting with Students: A Fulfilling Journey
After Tech Impact opened its Las Vegas Office in 2017, Kate White found the organization through an old connection and immediately knew she wanted to get involved and support tech workforce development in Southern Nevada. Not long after her first conversations and engagements with the Tech Impact team, Kate joined the Southern Nevada Advisory Board to help support and direct Tech Impact’s future growth in the region.
Over the years, Kate and her team at Penn National Gaming have not only financially supported Tech Impact through sponsoring the annual Southern Nevada Celebration of Impact, but have also volunteered as Lunch and Learn hosts, spoken at graduations, and been staunch advocates of the ITWorks program in the community. "My favorite opportunity is always when I get to engage directly with the students. I love when I get to talk with them as a group, like hosting lunch sessions where I get to share more about my career journey and lessons learned. There are always a lot of meaningful conversations that come out of it."
The students, with their enthusiasm and insightful questions, leave a lasting impression. "They're the best students. I would take any one of them as an employee today because they are just so eager and aggressive. It's great to see people like that coming out of this program, and it makes me excited about the future."
Along with her commitment to supporting the current cohorts, Kate's excitement about Tech Impact extends beyond just the personal interactions. As a leader in the Southern Nevada tech scene, she knows how important it is for the region to continue its growth and diversifying its tech talent pool to keep up with other areas of the country. "Technology is always growing and changing, so it's limitless in terms of what Tech Impact can do and how these programs can change the landscape. I'm really excited to see that and where we can go with it".
To those interested in volunteering with the workforce programs, Kate extends a heartfelt recommendations. "It's really great, it's fun, and I'd love to say it's just for them and to support their growth and career, but it's definitely for me too."