In June, AIM’s Youth Academy  student Bernadine Ambatobe attended the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE) National Student Leadership Congress program in Washington D.C. 

AIM celebrates AIM Youth Academy’s Bryan High School student Bernadine Ambatobe, who applied for acceptance into the prestigious Council for Opportunity in Education (COE) National Student Leadership Congress program in Washington D.C. in June. 

She attended this hard-to-get-into program, which brings together 100 Upward Bound TRIO students from across the country to engage in hands-on civic leadership experiences. During her week in the nation’s capital, Bernadine advocated for TRIO programs with Nebraska’s elected officials, debated policy issues, led a mock congress session and participated in a community service project.

“Never did I imagine this opportunity would land in my favor—but to my surprise, it did,” Bernadine said. “I spent the best week of my life in Washington, D.C., flying solo for the very first time and stepping into a whole new state of possibility. Together, we stood for something bigger than ourselves, advocating for TRIO programs like AIM Upward Bound. AIM provided me an experience I’ll never forget, and when it came time to give back, I was truly honored to stand up and do my part to make sure it continues for others like me.”

The experience is designed to empower students through public speaking, teamwork and civic engagement while building lifelong connections with TRIO peers from across the country. We are so proud of Bernadine for representing AIM’s Upward Bound program and Nebraska on a national stage!

Participating in the inaugural Women In Tech Summit are AIM Institute’s Monika Philp and Executive Director of Nebraska Tech Collaborative – Shonna Dorsey, and Summit Attendees.

On March 7, AIM was a partner and in-kind sponsor at the Inaugural 2025 Nebraska Women In Tech Summit, an event spotlighting technological achievements from women in Nebraska. The daylong event featured networking sessions, a community resource fair and panel discussions designed to foster collaboration and innovation across the state’s tech community.

Dala Alphonso, President and CEO of AIM, presented the Tech Mentor of the Year award to Dr. Yuliya Lierler, a computer science professor at UNO, recognizing her outstanding contributions to mentorship in tech. Additionally, Brett Berkebile, Director of AIM Code School and Technical Training, represented AIM with a dedicated Code School presentation booth, engaging attendees and sharing insights about our programs.

We’re honored to support and celebrate the incredible women shaping the future of technology!