One of Huntsville’s homegrown technology success stories is putting $250,000 behind Alabama’s next generation of cyber and engineering talent and bringing some of those students directly into the workplace. 

PROJECTXYZ has made a $250,000 investment in the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering Foundation to support the school’s mission of preparing students for careers in cyber, engineering and other technical fields.

PROJECTXYZ CEO Kimberly Lewis and President Larry Lewis presented the investment Monday before the ASCTE student body.

The contribution is the company’s first financial gift to the ASCTE Foundation and expands an existing partnership with the school. That relationship will grow again this semester when PROJECTXYZ welcomes its first three ASCTE student interns.

“At PROJECTXYZ, we see every day how important it is to have talented people who can think critically, solve complex problems, and bring new ideas to the table,” said Kimberly Lewis, who also serves on the ASCTE Board of Trustees. “ASCTE is developing those capabilities in students at an extraordinary point in their lives.”

Lewis said the company wants students to recognize that they do not necessarily have to leave Alabama to put those skills to work.

“We want these students to know there is a place for their passions and talents right here in Huntsville and Alabama,” she said. “Our investment, along with welcoming our first ASCTE interns this semester, is about helping students see the possibilities ahead of them and building the workforce our community and our nation will need in the future.”

ASCTE Foundation President PeggyLee Wright said partnerships with industry give students opportunities that extend beyond the classroom.

“An investment in the ASCTE Foundation is ultimately an investment in our students and in what they will go on to accomplish,” Wright said. “PROJECTXYZ understands that preparing the next generation of cyber and engineering leaders takes more than what happens in the classroom.”

Headquartered in Huntsville, PROJECTXYZ provides technical solutions to federal and commercial customers in engineering, manufacturing, logistics, information technology, alternative energy and other areas.

ASCTE is a public magnet high school serving students from across Alabama and is the nation’s only high school focused on integrating cyber technology and engineering into its academic disciplines.

The $250,000 investment will support the ASCTE Foundation’s work on behalf of the school and its students.