UKG partners with Microsoft Philanthropies TEALS to increase access and exposure to computer science.
It’s 8 a.m. on Mother’s Day morning at a local chain restaurant. People start arriving, eager to pick up their preordered meals. But with the line getting longer and patience growing shorter, it was clear something wasn’t right. Turns out, the app the restaurant launched two days earlier didn’t set a limit for how many orders each location could handle. And by lunchtime, overwhelmed with orders, the entire kitchen staff had quit.
What’s the moral of the story? Never skip software testing.
Sharing real-life scenarios like this is just one way UKG Principal Problem Manager Kishore makes computer science fun and relevant to students at Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Senior High School in Miami.
Kishore is one of hundreds of industry experts who lend their time and experience to help students from historically underrepresented groups explore a future in technology through Microsoft Philanthropies Technology Education and Learning Support (TEALS) program.
By pairing up volunteers who are experts in their fields with teachers who are experts in commanding a classroom, the TEALS program is creating connections and closing gaps for students who otherwise wouldn’t be exposed to computer science.
“[The] TEALS program has helped make computer education more relevant to the real-world situations,” echoes Karl-Heinz Cherubin, computer science teacher at Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Senior High School, and Kishore’s paired teacher.
A shared experience sparks action
Much like the students at Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Senior High School, Kishore grew up in a small community ― but in the south of India ― that didn’t have a lot of opportunities to explore computer science.
“I hadn’t actually seen a computer or the internet until I got into engineering school when I was 20,” says Kishore. And it wasn’t until after he graduated school and moved to Bangalore that he met a working engineer.
Principal Problem Manager
“We didn’t know what people did after they became engineers. We just thought that people learn engineering and teach others,” he adds.
UKG started a partnership with TEALS in 2023, and soon after hosted two information sessions for U.S.-based U Krewers to learn more about TEALS and their impact on students and communities.
“When I heard UKG was partnering with TEALS, I met with the coordinator, and I told him about my passion to bring computer education and expose kids to the technology much earlier,” says Kishore.
Thanks to the UKG paid Volunteer Time-Off policy, many U Krewers like Kishore are taking advantage of the new benefit to do skills-based volunteering for different communities in need.
After being accepted into the program, Kishore started teaching alongside Karl-Heinz for a first-period IT Fundamentals class. Three mornings a week, he instructs the students virtually using a combination of an established curriculum and his own lessons influenced by his 20+ years of computer science experience at companies like UKG and IBM.
Creating more equitable computer science programs
And the opportunities are even more limited for students excluded from learning computer science because of race, gender, or geography. In addition to providing access to computer science at a younger age, another motivation for Kishore is to increase the number of women in tech.
“In countries like India, they definitely see a big value in women being well educated, and higher education is a big priority because it empowers them and gives them opportunities,” he says.
In 2024, UKG and TEALS, in partnership with local organizations, took the first steps in expanding the program in India by offering the opportunity to India-based U Krewers.
The ripple effect of impact
“Microsoft is proud to collaborate with UKG to enhance teacher capacity and foster student interest in computer science education through the Microsoft Philanthropies TEALS Program. By joining forces, we amplify our impact, broaden access to CS skills, and pave the way for economic opportunities, especially for students who have historically been underrepresented in technology fields. Our shared mission drives us toward an inclusive and equitable future for all,”
Senior Director of Digital Skills at Microsoft Philanthropies
It’s not only the students who are reaping the benefits of volunteers like Kishore. Teachers are also learning how to teach computer science independently in the future — equipping even more students with the skills they need for in-demand jobs and opening pathways to economic opportunity.
Microsoft and UKG also have a strategic business and product partnership, but since 2023, the partnership is now deeper than business, with two technology leaders and philanthropic powerhouses joining together to uplift global communities.
“Being part of this program has been one of the best experiences for me this past year,” says Kishore. “People’s lives do change. UKG, I hope, is making a lifelong impact on kids’ lives through this.”