Both are benefitting from the personalized and comprehensive approach of the Pathways for the Future (PFF) program at Arizona State University (ASU) . The life-long learning program creates connections between students, faculty, mentors and employers.

Erin is a non-traditional student. Neil is a typical college junior. They voiced appreciation for the opportunities offered through the program as PFF Scholars. The State Farm-funded program is not just a $6,000 scholarship. Pathways also helps them build the knowledge, mindset and skills necessary for life and work in the 21^st century.

“They care about you,” Neil said. “Not just in school, but for your future.”

Placing an emphasis on education

The PFF education and career development program launched in February 2020. The $30 million investment from State Farm provides an endowment for scholarships and program operations. It also funds curriculum development, technology tools, and the new career and transition success center.

In addition to the 53 PFF Scholars seeking degrees and certificates, there are 40 other ASU students who received PFF awards. The awards of up to $1,700 cover fees associated with credit eligibility and credit conversion. The money helps jumpstart degree completion. The program seeks students at all stages of life, not just those entering the higher education system upon high school graduation.

PFF is specific to students seeking degrees or certificates in business, engineering and technology, and liberal arts and sciences. In addition to financial help, participants receive coaching and advisement through the Pathways Career Transitions and Success Center.

“Pathways for the Future is just one way State Farm is helping provide learners with the educational tools and resources to achieve and realize their dreams,” said Rasheed Merritt, Assistant Vice-President at State Farm. “State Farm believes education is critical for healthy, vibrant communities. Access to an education helps everyone reach their greatest potential.”

Eighteen-year-old Miski Abdirizak knows the value of hard work. In the '90s her parents migrated to the United States, seeking refuge from Somalia.

“Dad was a gas station clerk, restocked grocery shelves and tutored. Mom went to school to get her associates degree in nursing. They did this while raising me, my three older sisters and gaining citizenship to the U.S,” Miski said.

“My parents taught us to aim for the stars. What might be out of reach really isn’t if you strive to achieve. It’s about problem solving and perseverance,” the State Farm® technology intern said of her family’s journey.

So when State Farm presented Miski with an opportunity to solve problems through STEM, she took it.

She applied and was accepted to Girls Who Code in 2018. During the seven-week summer program, she did everything from learning JavaScript, HTML and Python to building data clouds, graphs and websites.

Girls Who Code is building the largest pipeline of future female engineers. It is on track to achieve gender parity in computer science by 2027.

State Farm became a Girls Who Code (GWC) sponsor in 2017. It offers the free summer immersion program to students at its Park Center campus in Atlanta.

“We’ve had nearly 100 Girls Who Code graduates since coming on board,” said State Farm GWC lead Katrina Torres. “Nearly half of our girls come from historically underrepresented groups. Many are Black, Latina or from low-income households and don’t have access to technology or the ability to take IT courses."

"Receiving messages from past graduates on their personal achievements or acceptance to a college computer science program is motivating. But even more exciting is when graduates' technical skillsets enable them to compete for a spot in our highly competitive technology intern program.”

When COVID-19 prevented in-person learning this year, State Farm pivoted GWC to a virtual summer immersion program. That allowed the program to expand its reach beyond Atlanta to girls across the country.

Committed to serving students amid challenging circumstances, it also honored job offers and internships. In May, State Farm welcomed nearly 450 college and high school interns. Only 4 percent of companies moved forward with internship programs.

“We knew it was important to continue the support of GWC in the wake of the pandemic. We understood the importance of providing these opportunities to all. Knowing tech jobs are the fastest growing occupations in the U.S., it’s critical to provide a foundation of computing skills for these young women,” Katrina said. “To alleviate technical glitches in a virtual environment, we purchased laptops and mobile Wi-Fi hotspots for our 2020 class.”

While teaching girls to code is a large component of GWC, Miski says it’s more than that.

“I learned courage and empowerment. Each week we met a woman in tech and had designated mentors. Seeing women dominating in this field - women who looked like us and we could relate to - made me realize I can do this too. Being a minority in the field shouldn’t be a scary thing. It’s about having confidence to go for it.”

Watch out world!

Following her GWC graduation in 2018, Miski’s received three State Farm technology internships. Her responsibilities ranged from product suites, to data analysis, to scrum.

“I love working at State Farm,” she said. “It’s cutting-edge, it’s creating solutions and it’s about helping people. I’ve learned so much.”

This fall, she’ll begin her freshman year at Georgia State University. In 2017, State Farm pledged $20 million to support student education and bring GSU’s pioneering data analytics work to life.

To explore tech opportunities at State Farm, visit statefarm.com/careers.

In the News

FOX54 Atlanta: Georgia State intern uses summer coding program to gain valuable experience with State Farm (12/13/20)