With the launch of bachelor degree programs in software development and network administration and security, Green River College is striving to create a strong tech presence in the South Sound. Small class sizes, project-based learning opportunities, peer mentorship, career preparation services, flexible day and evening schedules have made Green River a destination for a variety of students.
Bachelor’s degrees are also part of an effort to address the lack of diversity in the tech industry’s hiring pipeline.
Green River’s Technology Scholars Program was made possible by funding from the National Science Foundation. It is designed to broaden access to STEM careers for under-represented minorities, women and veterans by offering comprehensive scholarships to those pursuing a technology degree at Green River College.
Community Meetups
The Technology Program at Green River College also organizes two popular collectives on Meetup.com to create community engagement around technology, diversity and education.
Women in Technology was established to advance the role of women in tech through guest speaker events and professional networking activities.
Kent Station Web and Mobile Developers explores topics around mobile and web technologies through guest speakers and student presentations. KSWMD currently boasts a membership of 95 and meets once a month at Green River’s Kent Station campus.
High School Boot Camps
Green River’s Technology Program also conducts on-campus coding and information security boot camps for students from surrounding high schools.
Boot camps feature coding and security activities and also include campus tours, prize giveaways and all-you-can-eat pizza. More importantly, they expose high-schoolers to careers in IT and the suite of degree programs at Green River that will help get them there.
In 2014-15, more than 100 high-schoolers from Enumclaw to Kent attended on-campus boot camps. The Technology Program expects to serve even more students in the coming academic year to create a robust pipeline of prospective technology college students.
Those interested in earning a bachelor’s degree in information technology can email itdegrees@greenriver.edu.
