17 seniors from Penn Wood High School, who are studying statistics, had the opportunity to work closely with Qlik employees to create a ‘change project’ based on data collected from among their peers.
The topic that the students chose to study was the causes and effects of stress in the lives of fellow teenagers at Penn Wood High School. Data collected included information such as; What is causing stress? How are people reacting to stress and what are the teenagers doing to combat stress? This Program gave the students, not only the opportunity to analyze the data through Qlik’s internationally used software, but they also became Social Responsibility Advocates for their own school and peers.
We recently met up with Elsie Anaglate (18 years old), who is among the 17 William Penn seniors that participated the ‘Qlik’ program, to talk about what the experience had been like for her and what her future goals are. These are some of the questions we discussed:
Tell us about the experience you had at Qlik’s headquarters.
It was interactive. I learned a lot about how my future job could look like. It became a good extended experience and was not only limited to a one-day event. Qlik really helped us educationally and gave us the direction we needed. It was really fun and interesting.
Have you ever had a company visit like this before?
No, this was my first time.
How was this beneficial for you as a high school student?
Being part of the program made me think about what I want to do after high school. This was an opportunity for me to see how the real world looks like and what is waiting for me out there.
What are some of the things that you have learned from the Qlik experience?
I learned how to analyze the data we found in a more understandable manner, different from what I would have learned in the classroom. We used the most recent technology, which was rewarding.
Why is this important for High School students to have these experiences?
We were not the only students learning from this project. Our school community benefited from it too. The research and change project we did was not only for us who participated but also for all the students at the Penn Wood High School. This would be a beneficial experience for other students as well.
What will you take with you professionally from this experience?
I learned how to work with different people and how to respect other’s opinions. I also learned how to work in a group since I had to come up with ideas with others in the group. What I also learned was how to be patient.
What would you like to do professionally in the future?
After college I would like to work with organizations such as UNICEF to help kids from third world countries. And one day I would like to start my own business.
Qlik Technologies, founded in Sweden in 1993, has pioneered new ways of transforming data into meaningful information. Their product, Qlik, is the leading business discovery platform, providing user-driven business intelligence (BI) to a variety of organizations worldwide. Today Qlik Technologies serves approximately 32,000 customers in 100 countries. www.qlik.com
Mentor Foundation USA’s A.C.E. programs balance the information taught in classrooms by applying that knowledge in a meaningful and relevant way in a professional setting. Each A.C.E. is custom designed to meet the needs of the students and the partnering company. For more information on hosting a Career Inspiration Program, contact Gunilla Girardo, President & CEO Mentor Foundation USA at [email protected]