By: Hailey Temple
The School of Information Studies (iSchool) Graduate Student Organization (ISGO) hosted a successful book drive to benefit the Hive Colab in Kampala, Uganda.
With donations and support from the iSchool community, ISGO purchased 25 of 28 books from a wish list focused on technology and entrepreneurship topics.
The Hive Colab is a technology incubator and innovation space intended to inspire the minds of young African entrepreneurs, developers and designers interested in technology. Hive Colab also provides space for entrepreneurs to develop projects and meet potential investors and mentors to support projects.
Lauren Kostyal, the iSchool’s program manager of Information Management/Telecommunications and Network Management, highlights the significance these books will have for the aspiring technologists at the Hive Colab. “These books contain valuable things for budding entrepreneurs in Uganda. They will help the Hive Colab participants get inspiration from someone who has been through what they are developing, learn technical aspects and understand hard work that they went through.”
With assistance from Liz Ngonzi, a 1992 iSchool graduate, ISGO also received a $500 donation from Hannington Musinguzi, a Ugandan-American who who is the Managing Partner of W&K Systems, Inc. an IT consulting firm based in Princeton, NJ. His generous donation helped ISGO purchase the majority of the books from the wish list and garner support for ISGO and the iSchool community.
Kostyal recognizes how ISGO’s impacts the iSchool community and beyond: “ISGO is really excited about supporting technology and entrepreneurship and being able to widen reach of the iSchool’s principles. ISGO is really trying to put forth that they aren’t just a social organization, but are also focused on giving back to the community at the iSchool, Syracuse and beyond.”
For Ngonzi, a Ugandan-American and supporter of Women in Technology Uganda, the book drive is just the beginning of a hopefully budding relationship with the iSchool. “Ultimately, I hope we continue to build partnerships between the iSchool and Hive Colab, especially with Women in Technology Uganda. This can help give multiple perspectives and a cross-cultural connection to students from both places while highlighting the talent coming from the technology world in Uganda.”