Congratulations Harry Azoh!
Harry is the latest recipient awarded the Ana Alvarez-Holmberg Scholarship. He was awarded the scholarship at a PMI-MN function on September 18 in Bloomington.
The scholarship was created as a living tribute to the memory of one of our great members and volunteers. Jointly sponsored by ATD-GTC (Association for Talent Development – Greater Twin Cities) and PMI-MN (the Minnesota Chapter of the Project Management Institute) as an annual scholarship, the award provides $2000 to the winning candidate.
Each candidate submitted standardized forms, responding to questions about their backgrounds and future plans. Candidates were awarded points based on community service, personal advancement and continuous learning, personal standards and passion for life. Six judges representing each organization scored the applications to award points for each category. Harry had the highest aggregate score for all categories.
The award has been presented annually since 1998. Each organization takes turns presenting the award. Last year’s recipient was Manish Kalra, who received the 2016 award at a ceremony during a ATD-GTC dinner meeting. Manish had the goal of using the scholarship to pursue his Six Sigma Black Belt certificate.
On September 5, 2005 Ana Alvarez-Holmberg passed away at the young age of 46. Those who knew Ana during her lifetime have stated she was “a lady of deep commitment to the service of others… kind... committed… supportive of others… honest… full of energy” Ana distinguished herself through her commitment as a volunteer. In both PMI-MN and ATD-GTC she held leadership and service positions. She left her mark on these organizations – and both organizations proudly support the scholarship in her honor.
Loras Holmberg, husband of Ana Alvarez-Holmberg, commenting on the 2017 award to Harry Azoh said, “He has a vision and can make things happen. While some people are in a trance watching their 80-inch 4K flat screen, Harry is changing the world.”
At age 16, Harry moved from Cameron to London by himself. For over five years, Harry volunteered and worked for charities such as Mind, a charity in the United Kingdom. He helped support the homeless as well as people suffering from mental health problems.
Harry is currently working as an Oracle Database engineer. He is currently studying for a Master’s degree in Management with a concentration in IT and Project Management.
Harry is working to raise awareness of IT as a career path for Africans. “There are a lower number of Africans working in IT. I dream of changing that and giving people opportunity.”
Both PMI-MN and ATD-GTC look forward to future scholarship cycles.
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