Sen. Leahy Lauds Champlain Students’ High-Tech Skills

U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.)

U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) offered his congratulations to Champlain College’s Emergent Media Center on a job well done at the Vermont 3.0 Tech Jam for a project students designed to help reduce violence against women around the world.

The online soccer game Breakaway is part of an international project funded by the United Nations Population Fund and in partnership with the Population Media Center of Shelburne, Vermont.

“The Breakaway project is a shining example of what an education should be today,” said Sen. Leahy. “As students you have become engaged global people; you have studied innovative concepts, and tackled the root of a generationally embedded social issue. All of you who have taken part in this venture—you should walk away confident in your abilities as a well-trained professional and leader in your field.”

The free game was unveiled during the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa last summer and distributed locally in Africa during the monthlong competition to young soccer players attending camps. To try the game and learn more online, visit www.breakawaygame.com/.

The presentation was part of the two-day tech job fair sponsored by Dealer.com, Seven Days newspaper, and Champlain College last fall. More than 1,200 people from the New England region and Quebec attended.

In today’s competitive job market, businesses are looking for applicants who can set themselves apart from others. “I look for people who understand social responsibility and have a passion for what they are doing,” explained Tara Pfeiffer-Norrell, intern program manager for Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR). “Independent learners with entrepreneurial mind-sets are most important in this day and age,” she added.

For more information, visit Vermont 3.0 Tech Jam.