The award, which came from Macy’s IT Department, is earmarked for the Embrace Project, an educational partnership between Macy’s IT Division and the school. The project provides mentorship and collaborative working opportunities to support students in establishing 21st century skills, as well as college and career readiness skills with emphasis on business, entrepreneurship, technology, and marketing.
Dr. Christopher Martin, Lanier High’s principal, says the relationship between his school and Macy’s has been invaluable. He said, “The partnership has shown students that their ideas have value, and that critical thinking in everything they do can spark immense change. Students got to see behind-the-scenes on how the experiences they have with technology go from idea to implementation.”
Macy’s first connected with Lanier High in the Spring of 2021 when it donated $10,000 to jumpstart the partnership. The Embrace Project team included 14 Lanier students and three teachers along with 10 members from Macy’s Tech Team from their cybersecurity, App design, and production teams. In June of 2021, Macy’s officially kicked off the program with a zoom session in which they asked the students to download the Macy’s shopping App, play around in it, and determine “pain points” deemed frustrating to the consumer. The challenge was to identify a problem in the App and create a solution. The students worked weekly directly communicating with Macy’s IT staff to seek guidance and support.
In October of 2021, the Lanier students presented their solutions to Macy’s Tech Team. Macy’s original plan was to recognize one team of students for their solution. However, both student team solutions were so strong that Macy’s took both solutions back to their division leaders and App designers. The great work produced by the Lanier students led to the latest $10,000 donation and a continuation of the partnership.
Dr. Martin is proud of the students and excited about what the future holds for the partnership. “The additional grant is very exciting because it means Macy’s saw the value and return on the investment they made in our students,” Martin said.
“This program created a connection where all involved saw direct benefits, and we believe that an extension of this partnership will have a positive impact on the students’ future success.”
