We Connect Students, Teachers, Parents and Industry Experts to Create Amazing Learning Experiences

Metrics

• 82% of graduates feel prepared to be successful

• 73% of graduates feel they will be successful in college

• 73% of graduates want a career in STEAM

UPSKILL PROGRAM:

• 90% completed workforce training

• 70% completed workforce experience

• 65% hired by their assigned workforce experience employer or enrolled in further education

• 100% of V9 graduates earned the Prompt Engineering Certification – Nebula Academy

• 50% of V9 graduates earned the Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Fundamentals (PL-900)

HACK-A-THON PROGRAM:

• 82% U.S. students; 18% International

• Male: 56%, Female: 44%

• Nearly 800 students from 50+ schools

AI SUMMER PROGRAM:

• National program participants in the AI Summer Program

  • Virginia (including variations of VA, Va): 77.78%

  • New York (including NY): 11.11%

  • Pennsylvania (PA): 5.56%

  • Maryland: 5.56%

• Male: 77.8%, Female: 22.2%

• Age Distribution: Ages 14 to 18

D-U-N-S Number: 07-947-4315

Charity Registration Number: 44-04-29

Contact Information:

• Address: 300 Great Oaks Blvd Suite 300, Albany, NY 12203

• Phone: 631-468-7475

• Email: events@we-connect-the-dots.org

• Website: https://nebulaacademy.com

Past Performance:

• The Suffolk County Department of Labor and NYS Department of Labor have partnered with us to develop and expand our UpSkill Training Program, now in its tenth iteration and having trained over 300 participants across multiple states. Originally designed for young adults ages 18–24 who were unemployed or disconnected, the program equips participants with skills for entry-level tech roles, including Microsoft Business Automation, helps them build portfolios of their work, and provides opportunities for work experience with local and national organizations. Many participants also earn industry-recognized certifications, helping them advance in their careers and creating a repeatable model for career growth.

• Long Island Community Foundation: We successfully developed and delivered curriculum for Spanish speaking students to participate in our annual Hackathon Program. This initiative supported the development of curriculum for our online Learning Management System and Live instructor lead program to teach students ages 13-18 how to code and be a part of an entrepreneurial learning program.

• Microsoft: We successfully developed an industry partnership program called “Discovery Day at Microsoft”. This program provided young adults ages 13-18, including educators, and education administrators with a full day of exploring careers in tech at the Microsoft Times Square facility. This program was delivered annually from 2016- 2019 Over 1000 Participants and educators attended this program. Quote from educators “ I have never seen my students so engaged in learning complex math. I learned so much myself and look forward to learning more ways to introduce technology to support real world applied math with students”

• City of Charlotte, NC: Tech training with Mayors program in Charlotte NC. Designed a tech training program for the Mayoral Summer Program for the City of Charlotte NC. This program was introduced to an existing summer internship program that has been available for over 20 years. The introduction of the “Tech Charlotte” program enhanced the current program and enabled a broader focus on career paths in technology where participants worked within Nonprofit organizations to apply their new skills.

• Annual Hackathon Program: Now in its 11th year of running, our annual Hackathon program has supported hundreds of students, educators, and community members each year. This program provides students ages 13-18 with exposure to an entrepreneurial program where students learn to code using modern web development tools and work as teams to create conceptual businesses aligned to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. All curriculum delivered in this program was designed in collaboration with industry partners including Microsoft, Amazon, Adobe, Google, and many others.

• CreatingSTEAM Program and CreatingIDEAS: Two annual summer programs supporting approximately 85 participants ages 13-19 each year working collaboratively with school districts and hosting at various universities in New York State and online. These programs introduce students to an immersive learning experience where they have the opportunity to explore an entrepreneurial experience in the CreatingSTEAM program and learn about the world of video game design and development in the CreatingIDEAS program. Outcomes from this program increase awareness of the current and developing career paths and opportunities that are evolving in the workplace. Creating excitement for both STEM and STEAM career paths and the skills necessary to succeed. All curriculum delivered in this program was designed in collaboration with industry partners including Microsoft, Amazon, Adobe, Google, and many others.

Contracts Awarded:

• NYS DOL CFA WDI Round 2 UWT

  • Contract #: DOL01-C21346GG-3550000

  • Award Amount: $249,450

• NYS DOL CFA UWT

  • Contract #: DOL01-C19303GG-3550000

  • Award Amount: $196,010

Capability Statement Date:

• November 04, 2024

Point of Contact:

• Shauna Oenning

• Title: Executive Director

• Phone: 631-468-7475

• Email: info@wctd.org

Student Testimonials:

• "The challenge was incredible, it really exposed me to things I didn't know before. Today I'm okay with cloud technologies and can work with them effectively. Thanks to AWS for helping in making it all possible."

• "I loved the Keynote Speaker presentations, especially Intro to Machine Learning. It's a concept that I didn't think about before and I saw a new world of opportunities to explore"

• "We Connect The Dots is a great option for anyone looking to learn how to code. I am a high school student and returning alumni to the annual Code-A-Thon. As a result, I have passed my Microsoft Introduction to Programming using HTML and CSS exam."