ENLIGHTENED HOSTING 2007 PSLA SUPPORTING UNDERSERVED COLLEGE STUDENTS

WASHINGTON (April 30): In support of the Pioneers In Education (PIE) Alliance, Enlightened, Inc., an Inner City 100 and INC. 500 company, is proud to announce that it is co-hosting and sponsoring the PIE Alliance's 2007 Pioneer Student Leadership Academy (PSLA), which will be held at The George Washington University's Mount Vernon campus from June 4 -14.

PSLA is a two-week residential leadership and long term mentoring program for underserved and underrepresented college students. Its objectives are to provide leadership and workforce readiness skills to students lacking access to traditional leadership "training grounds," to provide long term mentorship opportunities with corporate sponsors and leaders, and to produce a Pioneers In Education Family Network of volunteers, sponsors, supporters, mentors and alumnae, all committed to the professional growth of these students.

The academy features an array of interactive workshops, hands-on activities, and presentations by corporate leaders, prominent educators, and others from the public and private sector. Additionally, it serves college students who represent underserved/underrepresented populations and are interested in science, technology, engineering, and math (the STEM curriculum), agriculture or other related fields. As part of the program, Enlightened staff will guide PSLA participants on a city tour and company executives are scheduled to participate in leadership discussion panels. In addition to fundraising and program involvement, Enlightened will also manage public relations and marketing, as well as, provide logistical support for the program.

"It is an honor to be given this opportunity to invest in such promising young talent," said Antwanye Ford, Enlightened President. "Our sponsorship of PSLA is a fulfillment of our philosophy, 'To those whom much is given, much is required.'"

Other major program contributors include fellow PIE Alliance partners DuPont, Office of Education and the Page One Foundation, as well as, The George Washington University, Bank of America, Siemens Foundation, US Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education, MANNRS (Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences), PTG Consulting Group and Viewset Inc.

About Pioneers In Education Alliance
Formed in 2003, the Pioneers in Education (PIE) Alliance is a public-private education consortium dedicated to preparing underserved and underrepresented college students to lead the 21st century workforce, promoting literacy in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, increasing diversity participation in these fields, and promoting awareness of and interest in nontraditional applications and career paths for the sciences.

About Pioneer Student Leadership Academy
The Pioneer Student Leadership Academy (PSLA), an outgrowth of the Pioneers in Education Alliance, is a two-week residential leadership academy and long term mentoring program for underserved and underrepresented college students. Academy participants get hands-on experience in managing all aspects of a conference; attend educational workshops; and are taught and mentored by skilled professionals as they produce a daily conference newsletter, conference videos, and other communications vehicles. For more information, please visit www.pioneersineducation.org.

About Enlightened

Enlightened, Inc. is a full-service information technology (IT) and business solutions company. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., Enlightened provides support to federal and local government agencies and commercial customers. Enlightened holds GSA IT-70 and MOBIS schedule contracts, and is certified as SDB, 8(a), and HubZone by the Small Business Administration.

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04/30/07


Press Information:

Enlightened, Inc.
Ameena Layous, Marketing & PR Associate
666 11th Street, NW
Washington, DC. 20001
(202) 783-4655
news@nlightened.com