INSPIRE Academy

INSPIRE Academy

page menu

inspire academy

Ivy Tech's Northeast Speakers, Performers,
Intellectual exhibits and Recreational Experiences

If people can find something that inspires them, they are likely to do something
that will enrich not only their own life but the lives of those around them.

Ivy Tech Employer Services: Lunch ‘N Learns

Ivy Tech Northeast representatives will present a free Lunch ‘N Learn for area employers to hear more about the College’s employer services and partnerships, including
   • Academic programs and information
   • Achieve Your Degree/tuition reimbursement partnerships
   • Apprenticeships
   • Workforce alignment
   • Career Development
   • Community campuses
   • Future partnerships and collaborations

fair

For more info:
Tanya Young, director of Community Engagement
tyoung42@ivytech.edu
260-413-9788

Youth Building Our Tomorrow (Y-BOT) Championship Event (Annual)

Ivy Tech Northeast partners with YBOT to host about a dozen high school teams monthly for robotics competitions. The group visits North Campus to compete using Vex robots provided by a grant from General Electric. The teams engineer, build, program, and run their robots to complete challenges.
    
At the conclusion of the competition season in April, the College hosts a championship tournament. Students in area high schools spend time on campus and become familiar with the facilities. Faculty and staff interact with the students to provide mentoring, inspiration and feedback. Kids learn about robotics, engineering, programming, and Ivy Tech Northeast in a fun and supportive environment.

robot

For more info:
Karen Jones, math chair
kjones82@ivytech.edu
260-481-2266

5th Annual Boy Scout Merit Badge College (MBC) and University of Scouting (UoS)

The Merit Badge College offers area scouts ages 11 to 18 opportunities to earn merit badges in a multitude of areas: engineering, chemistry, digital technology, communications, citizenship in the nation, astronomy, nuclear physics, railroading, personal finance, first aid, plumbing, robotics, game design, animal science, fire safety, automotive maintenance, cooking, energy and disability awareness.

The badges are provided by Ivy Tech Northeast faculty and staff, together with area volunteers, on campus. The Merit Badge College engages Ivy Tech Northeast employees directly and provides Boy Scouts with early college exposure, beginning the process of creating relationships between the Scouts and Ivy Tech Northeast.

boy scout

For more info:
Karen Jones, math chair
kjones82@ivytech.edu
260-481-2266

Techfest student engagement and recruitment

Marketing and Communications is working in conjunction with the Business and Public Services Division to create a better, more exciting Ivy Tech Northeast presence at this year’s Techfest at McMillen Community Center. Funding will provide nicer, succinct marketing piece to draw participants in, including the chance to win an Amazon Echo Dots. The giveaway will generate excitement among the students, encourage them to learn about Ivy Tech, and create interest for future students.

tech fest 2017

Contact for more info:
Andrew Welch, executive director of Marketing and Communications
awelch17@ivytech.edu
260-481-2270

Ivy Steps Up! step show

The Ivy Steps Up! step show will showcase the talents of members from Greek letter organizations in the art of stepping while introducing dancers and attendees to the opportunities afforded at Ivy Tech Northeast. Attendees will also be exposed to what it is like to be a member of a Greek letter organization, many of which were founded on community service and scholarship.

For more info:
Tracy Davis, director of Community Engagement
tdavis457@ivytech.edu
260-480-2016

I-Career Day

The I-Career Days help students understand dual credit and introduces current Ivy Tech Northeast students to prospective students. The day also helps high school find the best educational pathway to enter the workforce and provides a better understanding of the expectations for successful employment.

i-career day logo

For more info:
Kimberly Waugh, Dual Credit Transition specialist
kwaugh7@ivytech.edu
260-480-2018

FIRST Lego League (5th annual)

Ivy Tech Northeast’s FIRST Lego League competition serves 16 area middle school teams with 10+ members each. The competition builds science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills by challenging the kids to engineer, build, and program robots to complete a series of tasks.

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is an international organization with an outreach and educational mission. Ivy Tech’s partnership with FIRST connects the College to middle and high school students and creates a pipeline for future enrollment. Lego League teaches STEM skills and builds cooperative teams in a highly charged, fun, and exciting event.

lego

For more info:
Karen Jones, math chair
kjones82@ivytech.edu
260-481-2266

Southside Fest 2017

Southside Fest promotes the south side of Fort Wayne and highlights it as the place to live, work, and play.
Ivy Tech has been a close partner on the project since 2013; serving the College’s entire region is a vital step in changing lives.

Southside Fest celebrates young people’s athletic and creative talents while connecting community resources in a fun and family friendly environment.

south side fest sign

For more info:
Tracy Davis, director of Community Engagement
tdavis457@ivytech.edu
260-480-2016

INSPIRE Academy aims to provide inspirational and creative opportunities targeting various members of the community including Ivy Tech faculty, staff and students, members of K-12 educational institutes, and community members.

Past Events

Northeast Indiana Industry Tours

INSPIRE Academy presented a series of industry tours for students throughout Northeast Indiana. Students learned about the types of industries that sustain our region and the skills/training that employers are looking for when making hiring decision.

Students participated in tours at:

Sweetwater Sound (Fort Wayne, IN)
PHD (Fort Wayne, IN)
FXI (Auburn, IN)
Parkview Field (Fort Wayne, IN)
C&A Tool (Churubusco, IN)

South Side Fest at Public Safety Academy: Ivy Tech South Campus

South Side Fest is a community event held at Ivy Tech’s south campus at the Public Safety Academy featuring:
•    5 on 5 youth basketball tournament
•    dance competition
•    community resource fair
•    educational and leisurely entertainment
Its purpose is to bring the community together and showing residents that the south side of town has a lot to offer and it showcases the talents of the community’s youth.
    

Safe Space training

INSPIRE Academy hosted a series of Safe Space trainings with expert presenters as well as a community dialogue aimed at providing basic education and a common vocabulary to use when discussing issues of sexuality and gender identity. As our workplace and communities are becoming more inclusive of LGBTQ persons, it is vital, especially in a place of higher education, that our employees are able to speak compassionately and intelligently with all populations we serve. It is also our responsibility to ensure that our environment is safe and affirming in order to ensure that all students are able to learn under our roof.

The GRITTY Leadership Conference

INSPIRE Academy brought Ron and Rodney Lewis to campus to share their approach to leadership with first generation college students across our region at the GRITTY Leadership Conference on Ivy Tech’s campus.. They believe every first generation college student is capable of achieving Greatness, Resiliency, Intelligence, and Tenacity (G.R.I.T.). The goal is to help students realize the greatness in their mind, body, and soul. Learn more about their approach at www.lewflu.com.

TechFest

The event happens annually and features a one-day region-wide STEM competition and conference for Northeast Indiana high school students, featuring:

  • inter-school STEM competitions
  • educational breakout sessions and workshops
  • employer and college exhibits in a career fair/tradeshow setting

School teams compete for points earned by entering competitions, attending breakout sessions and exhibits, and by just attending TechFest. INSPIRE Academy was a proud sponsor of such a worthy cause that undoubtedly inspired many young people to look at technology as a possible career path.

Sasha Mallory

Runner up of season 8’s So You Think You Can Dance visited Ivy Tech Community College Northeast in 2014 with the INSPIRE Academy and taught a series of dance workshops for those aged 8 and older. The 127 northeast Indiana dancers who performed Mallory’s choreography at halftime during a Mad Ants game, got to do something they would never have been able to do without Mallory and the INSPIRE Academy – learn from and perform with a nationally recognized dancer.

Thanks to our partner The Fort Wayne Mad Ants

Fort Wayne Mad Ants

The Dream Share Project

Film features eye-opening advice and anecdotal wisdom from an Olympic skier, one of the original Latin Kings of Comedy, a slam poet, a Project Runway fashion designer, the CEO of a sustainable flip flop company, and many more. The Dream Share Project is a film that encourages people to live up to their fullest potential and reject societal pressure to “play it safe.”

thedreamshareproject.com

Film Screening and Discussion with the Director

Beauty Beneath the Dirt

Director Katherine Imp takes a raw and uninhibited look at what happens to the mind, body, and soul over the course of a 2178.3-mile journey.

beautybeneaththedirt.com

Tim Fort, aka the Kinetic King

As seen on America's Got Talent
 

King sized Interview

See the video of a chain-reaction gadget at Glenbrook Square Mall, Fort Wayne, IN

'King'-sized Interview
Tim Fort aka the Kinetic King shares views on his science exhibits, TV exposure

Jennifer Pharr Davis

Jennifer Pharr Davis

Appalachian Trail record holder and author came to northeast Indiana. Pharr Davis shared her hiking adventures at three public events. She provided a morning presentation to approximately 220 fifth- and sixth-grade students at Prairie Heights Middle School in LaGrange, Ind., and then led an afternoon lecture to about 50 Ivy Tech–Northeast community members on the Coliseum Campus.

Hiking Trip to Appalachian Trail

Hiking Trip to Appalachian Trail

The INSPIRE Academy lived up to its namesake in early June 2012, as a small group of hikers affiliated with Ivy Tech Community College–Northeast shared an inspirational experience during a four-day, 20-mile trek along the Appalachian Trail.

Star of Discovery Channel's "Storm Chasers" visited Fort Wayne for INSPIRE Event

Star of Discovery Channel's "Storm Chasers" visited Fort Wayne for INSPIRE Event

Reed Timmer, star of the popular Discovery Channel show “Storm Chasers” and his storm-chasing vehicle, “The Dominator,” visited Ivy Tech Community College−Northeast. He presented two sessions during the day, plus an evening session which was open to the general public.