Significant Dates
AUG. 9: MUHARRAM
AUG. 11: RAKSHA BANDHAN
AUG. 16: PARSI NEW YEAR
AUG. 18: JANMASHTAMI
AUG. 24: PARYUSHAN (JAIN FESTIVAL) BEGINS
AUG. 31: GANESH CHATURTHI
Florida News
AMGEN INC. AND SHOOTING STARS FOUNDATION INSPIRE TAMPA BAY YOUTH TO PURSUE STEM CAREERS
Story provided by Shooting Stars Foundation
Amgen Inc. and Shooting Stars Foundation (SSF) partnered to host a SSF STEM
Entrepreneurship Program July 18-22 at the Amgen Capability Center in Tampa.
This STEM Entrepreneurship Program served students in the greater Tampa Bay area,
providing an opportunity to learn entrepreneurial, leadership and technology skills from industry
professionals focusing on the biosciences, as well as exposure to functional areas such as
finance, ideation, marketing, product design, Web development. The sessions were taught by
Amgen staff who are experts in the field. The participants pitched their business idea to
professional judges, learnt about career choices, experienced corporate culture, and networked
with peers and Amgen leaders. Twenty-four middle and high school students from 18 schools in
Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties participated.
This initiative was led by Una Krisnan, Global Chair, AISN - Amgen Indian Sub-Continent
Network, and Shalini Nemani, Tampa Chair, WE2 – Women Empowered to be Exceptional,
employee resource groups within Amgen and sponsored by Haresh Patel, Amgen Tampa site
lead, and Kassidy Johnson, Amgen Tampa Corporate Affairs lead. The program was
coordinated by Rajan Sambandam from Lake Highland Prep School, Orlando, and Ishi Jain
from Palm Harbor University High School IB Program, youth officers of SSF. A representative
from Congresswoman Kathy Castor’s office and Latha Narayannan, CEO, Shooting Stars,
attended the closing ceremony.
Shooting Stars Foundation is a STEM education focused nonprofit organization, which provides
volunteering opportunities for high school students in the United States to make an impact in
their communities while learning leadership skills. SSF’s mission is to educate, enable and
empower communities to break the cycle of generational poverty through early STEM
education.
One of the world’s leading biotechnology companies, Amgen makes medicines to help patients
with serious illnesses. It opened its door in Tampa Bay in 2017 and has over 1,000 employees
at the Tampa location.
For information on such events and to volunteer with Shooting Stars, visit https://shooting-stars-
foundation.org/volunteer/