Daily Reporter staff reports
FRANKLIN — Clayton Miller, Fortville, recently participated in Franklin College’s Tech Point Challenge as part of the Work-From-Home team.
Due to COVID-19, many Franklin students were notified that their summer internship opportunities had been canceled. TechPoint, Indiana’s industry-led, nonprofit tech sector growth initiative, recognized the loss and responded with a solution. TechPoint offered 500 Hoosier college students the opportunity to participate in the Summer Opportunities for Students (S.O.S.) Challenge, a five-week summer experience designed to help the students strengthen their resumes, demonstrate skills and make valuable, professional connections.
Students participating in the program were placed on teams to work on COVID-related challenges during the timeframe of June 22 to July 17. Volunteers from the Indiana tech community were assigned as coaches to the student teams. Each team was assigned a real-world, COVID-19 related challenge topic, ranging from workplace and work-from-home environments, telehealth, restaurants and small businesses, sports and entertainment events, e-learning, schools, community-based organizations, tourism and transportation.
Teams had the opportunity to learn from experts, do their own research, then prepare a product prototype and go-to-market plan to help address solutions to COVID-related problems or to help create new opportunities. The products and plans have been presented virtually to a TechPoint panel of judges. Winners will be announced on July 31 and will receive cash prizes for their efforts. Each student who finished the program also received a $500 stipend.
Clayton Miller, an art history and graphic art design major, is the son of Ms. Lisa Miller. For additional information about Franklin College, visit franklincollege.edu.
