Front Royal, VA – April 22, 2025
Twenty high school students from Warren County, Virginia are participating in the third annual This Is IT! (TII!) Club, made possible in part by ENSCO, Inc., a Northern Virginia-headquartered technology and engineering company.
The initiative was started in 2022 to equip emerging technologists with the skills to pursue future careers in technology. From Wednesday, January 22, through the end of May, the students, ages 14 through 17, will meet at the Samuels Public Library in Front Royal every two weeks. Over the course of the semester, speakers from technical fields, like cybersecurity and national security, will expand their minds about working in information technology (IT). Additionally, leaders in human resources, business development, and the President of ENSCO will outline a path forward to help students achieve their goals, prepare them for internships, and make formal education more affordable through scholarships supported by ENSCO.
“There’s simply nothing like TII! in the area,” said Frank Lagasse, co-founder of TII! and a longtime business development leader at ENSCO. “These kids have a passion for IT and are hungry for the hands-on experience our curriculum offers. They walk away from the club with the know-how and motivation to think bigger about their futures, and it’s incredibly inspiring to witness.”
The club welcomes students from ninth to 12th grade across various schooling backgrounds, including public, parochial, and homeschooled students. Participants are selected for the club through a thorough application process. This year, each student will be gifted a complete computer setup for applying the skills they learn during club meetings: a Raspberry Pi single-board computer, 20-inch HD LED monitor, 32GB memory card, wireless keyboard, and microSD card.
ENSCO's involvement with TII! reflects its commitment to fostering educational development and preparing the next generation workforce. The program not only enhances students' technical skills but also integrates career workshops, scholarships, and internship opportunities, which bridge the gap between educational endeavors and professional success.
In addition to ENSCO providing all of the new computer hardware, more than a dozen ENSCO employees have volunteered to mentor students over the course of this year’s TII! session.
ABOUT ENSCO, Inc.
ENSCO, Inc., and its wholly owned subsidiaries, represent a more than $180 million international technology enterprise with 750+ employees headquartered in the Washington, D.C., area. For more than 50 years, ENSCO has been providing leading-edge engineering, science and advanced technology solutions to governments and private industries worldwide. ENSCO operates in the aerospace, national security, and surface transportation sectors. ENSCO serves customers in cutting-edge, mission-critical environments where safety, security, reliability, and resilience are of paramount importance. ENSCO field offices and subsidiaries, representatives and partnerships are located throughout the United States and around the world. Learn more about ENSCO