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Hello, We're excited about Microsoft coming to Harris-Stowe for a fun-filled day of tech innovation for middle and high school students - Friday, January 29. Also, Hazelwood teenager Jaylen Bledsoe, founder of a multi-million dollar IT enterprise, will kick-off the competition (at 9 a.m.) that focuses on urging urban youth to explore entrepreneurship. News Harris-Stowe State University FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Pier Scott (314) 340-3391 or (314) 504-1386 LOCAL TEENAGED TECH ENTREPRENEUR JAYLEN BLEDSOE INSPIRES AREA YOUTH AT MICROSOFT'S 'YOUTHSPARK LIVE' INNOVATION EVENT AT HARRIS-STOWE St. Louis, MO (Jan. 22, 2016) - Microsoft is bringing its first "YouthSpark Live" program to Harris-Stowe State University to encourage St. Louis teens to re-write their futures through technology and innovation. Local entrepreneur Jaylen Bledsoe, 17, will tell his inspiring story of how he built his multi-million dollar global IT services enterprise. More than 100 area middle and high school students will participate in the one-day workshop, 8:30 a.m., Friday, January 29 in Harris-Stowe's Emerson Performance Center. Microsoft and its community service partners, Sciberus, Inc., HipScience, LLC, Premier Knowledge Solutions, and Notes for Life Arts and Technology Program will come together to deliver this impactful STEM event where students will learn to build their own games, perform market research using social media platforms, as well as help them generate ideas to solve community problems. The students will use the technology to tackle daunting community issues, including lagging regional economic growth, community/ police relations, underperforming public schools and homelessness in a competitive and fun environment. Atlanta-based Hip Science will introduce its Low Energy Bluetooth-based Environmental Sensor and Weather Station platform to expose the students to programming concepts using IoT (Internet of Things) devices. "When Microsoft approached Harris-Stowe to host this life-changing, relationship-building experience for St. Louis students, we jumped at the chance," said Emmanuel Lalande, Dean of Student Success for Harris-Stowe. "Our university thrives on the energy, ingenuity and resourcefulness of our students. This program will expose young people to their unlimited opportunities and give them the creative platform, direction and instruction to express their aspirations." Workshop participants will work in teams to develop their business ideas and inventions, learn how to create their own games and present their ideas to a team of Microsoft and Harris-Stowe volunteers/mentors. The event features an immersive environment where social impact, business startup, entrepreneurial skills, leadership, teamwork and high-touch collaboration experiences are taught in tangible ways using startup ideation and game design concepts as vehicles for personal and professional development. "YouthSpark Live goes beyond the traditional STEM platform and meets urban youngsters on their terms, on their turf, in their language," said Trice Johnson, Architect, Americas Office of the CTO in Microsoft's Strategy, Support and Innovation division. "We were intentional about launching this program in St. Louis and at Harris-Stowe to blend urban youth culture with passionate innovation hacking experiences, entrepreneurism and gaming platforms." January is "National Mentoring Month" and Harris-Stowe students, faculty and staff participate in numerous mentoring events with various groups throughout the academic year. Bledsoe, founder of The Jaylen D. Bledsoe Global Group, is also a mentor to other youth. He developed a set of interactive digital programs and camps called The Young Entrepreneur University, which he plans to bring to 10 cities this year. Bledsoe is a senior at Hazelwood West High School and his North County-based global companies include The Flare Digital Agency and Jaylen D. Bledsoe Productions. He was awarded the "Presidential Academic Excellence Award" from President Barack Obama in 2009. About Harris-Stowe State University Harris-Stowe State University (HSSU), located in midtown St. Louis, is a fully accredited four-year institution that offers 31 majors, minors and certificate programs in education, business and arts & sciences. In 2014, HSSU ranked No. 1 in the state of Missouri and No. 47 in the nation in granting degrees in mathematics and statistics to African Americans according to Missouri Department of Higher Education and Diverse: Issues In Higher Education, a news magazine that has ranked institutions conferring the most degrees to minority students for the past 30 years. The university, which has origins dating back to 1857, offers the most affordable bachelor's degree in the state of Missouri. # # # Pier Scott Director of Communications & Marketing Office of Institutional Advancement Harris-Stowe State University 3026 Laclede Ave. St. Louis, MO 63103 (314) 340-3391 or (314) 504-1386 (cell) scottp@hssu.edu<mailto:scottp@hssu.edu> www.hssu.edu<http://www.hssu.edu/>