First Tech Fund CEO, Josue De Paz Selected as Class of 2022-2023 Obama Foundation Scholar
[New York, New York] -- Today, the Obama Foundation announced that Josue De Paz, CEO & Co-Founder at First Tech Fund, will be part of its fifth cohort of Obama Scholars, made up of 30 emerging leaders from around the world who will study at either Columbia University or the University of Chicago for the 2022-2023 academic year.
Josue created nonprofit organization First Tech Fund after his own experiences as a low-income undocumented student and to address the disproportioniate impact of the digital divide on underserved students exacerbated by the COVID pandemic. Navigating academic and corporate spaces as a first-generation college graduate showed Josue the value of how digital connectivity, mentorship, and skills training could propel students trying to reach their full potential. Motivated by the impact that First Tech Fund’s free after-school program and technology has had on the 135 students who have been part of it—including through college acceptances, scholarship awards, and other recognitions—Josue has been working to scale the program across New York City and eventually beyond.
“First Tech Fund’s programming, which includes dedicated mentorship for high school students with professionals across a wide array of fields, has centered around the idea that ‘you can’t be what you can’t see.’ The impact of the interactions and experiences Josue will have while learning from social impact leaders, entrepreneurs, and world-renowned faculty at Columbia University, will support the next stage of our organization’s growth and long-term trajectory,” said Hana Seligman, Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder at First Tech Fund. “We’re thrilled for Josue to join this year’s cohort of Obama Scholars!”
In line with the Foundation’s vision to support the next generation of global leaders, the Obama Foundation Scholars program partners with the University of Chicago and Columbia to combine academic learnings with one-of-a-kind experiences led by the Obama Foundation. The program aims to empower emerging leaders with a proven commitment to service with the tools they need to make their efforts more effective and impactful upon their return home.
“The Obama Scholars program provides students with the unique opportunity to give and gain insight into the work that fellow young leaders are driving in their communities, while speaking to the intersectionality of their efforts through collaboration,” said Obama Foundation Chief Executive Officer Valerie Jarrett. “We are eager to welcome the new cohort of Scholars to the Foundation family–a network of changemakers tirelessly working for a more equitable future.”
At Columbia University, 12 Obama Scholars will complete a nine-month residency with Columbia World Projects, an initiative that mobilizes the university’s faculty and researchers to work with governments, nongovernmental organizations, businesses, and communities to create tangible solutions to real-world issues. This cohort will also participate in seminars, personal and professional development workshops, audited coursework, and other programming designed in consultation with the Foundation.
The Obama Foundation Scholars program is designed to inspire, empower, and connect emerging leaders with the tools they need to make their efforts more effective and impactful across their global communities. Since its inception in 2018, the program has served 125 young leaders from 55 countries. To learn more about the 2022-2023 cohort, please visit obama.org/scholars.
To learn more about Josue De Paz or First Tech Fund, visit firsttechfund.com.