From space technology and artificial intelligence to mentorship, scholarships, free cloud programming workforce training, and STEAM career pathways

MIAMI, FL, UNITED STATES, August 31, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Powered by Bravo Story and hosted by IOScholarships Foundation with the support of the Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority, the one-day event gave students opportunities to learn directly from leaders working across cloud computing, artificial intelligence, space technology, health technology, engineering and the arts. The Summit also created opportunities for mentorship, networking, scholarships and direct connections between students and industry leaders.

For IOScholarships founder Maria Fernanda Trochimezuk, those connections are at the heart of the organization’s mission. “We started our platform to help students with scholarships,” Trochimezuk said. “Now, we also want to help students find jobs.”

IO Scholarships has grown to a community of more than 10,000 students, with strong representation in Florida as well as California, New York, Chicago and Texas. Its broader mission is to help one million students access $1 billion in workforce opportunities and AI training over the next decade, with an emphasis on multicultural, first-generation and other students who have historically lacked access to educational and professional opportunities.

One of the Summit’s major announcements was a new collaboration between IOScholarships and Amazon Web Services (AWS) to bring AWS re/Start to 25 learners across Miami Beach. The free, 12-week training program is designed to help participants develop cloud computing and professional skills and prepare for opportunities in the technology workforce.

Juan Carlos Gutierrez, Managing Director, Technology and Innovation at Amazon Web Services, joined Trochimezuk and Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority Vice Chair Ceci Velasco for the Summit’s opening remarks.

Throughout the day, students had opportunities to speak directly with executives and innovators. In one hallway conversation, Gutierrez stopped to talk with a student and offer advice exactly the type of personal access the Summit was designed to create. For students who may not ordinarily have an opportunity to speak one-on-one with senior technology decision-makers, those conversations can make a lasting difference.

The Summit took students far beyond traditional conversations about college and careers. Nelson Badillo, a Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. candidate at Harvard University and Visiting Operations Engineer on the Mars Perseverance Rover at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, presented “Exploring the Cosmos, One (Soft) Robot at a Time.” His participation offered students a firsthand view into the possibilities available at the intersection of engineering, robotics and space exploration and demonstrated that extraordinary career paths can begin with education, curiosity and access to the right opportunities.
The program also explored how different generations can learn from one another.

Pete Martinez, Chairman and CEO of SIVOTEC, and Robert Cancio, SIVOTEC’s Director of Product Development, discussed “Grey Hair and Young Blood: How Two-Way Mentorship Creates Cutting-Edge Innovation.” Martinez emphasized the value of investing in people and sharing experience across generations.
“It’s all about compounding knowledge,” Martinez told attendees. “There’s greater growth in the intellectual capital than there is in the financial capital.”
Students take center stage

Ashley Prado, President of the Florida International University Society of Women Engineers, and Veronica Rojas Mora, an FIU undergraduate studying computer science, participated in a discussion on using technology to create impact.
Rojas Mora is pursuing her education with support from an Amazon Future Engineer scholarship, an opportunity she initially learned about through a teacher.
Her experience illustrated one of the Summit’s recurring themes: a teacher, mentor or industry leader who shares the right information at the right moment can alter the trajectory of a student’s life.

“You need diversity to have innovation,” Rojas Mora said. The Summit also celebrated emerging talent through the Innovators of the Future Scholarship Awards, recognizing students and reinforcing the importance of combining inspiration with tangible educational opportunities.

Maria Trochimezuk
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IO Scholarships Foundation