Meet the Winners of Our 2022 HBCU Technology & Future Leaders in Retail Challenges

During Black History Month, we highlighted our Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Design Challenge winners. Now, meet the winners of our HBCU Technology and Future Leaders in Retail Challenges. They’re up-and-coming creators, leaders and entrepreneurs with big passion. And we’re supporting them with opportunities to showcase their skills, earn prizes and build meaningful careers. To top it off, Target’s donating to the HBCUs of the challenge winners, with $5,000 going to first place and $3,000 to second place. It’s all part of our ongoing work to cultivate relationships with HBCU students and help develop Black talent. At the heart of it all is our mission to help these future leaders and creators develop the skillsets and confidence to make their mark on the future. Ready to meet these talented students? A banner with black text against a white background and red triangle pattern on both ends. HBCU Future Leaders in Retail Challenge The goal: explore a detailed case study, then develop comprehensive leadership plans that help the students explore the scope of responsibilities and dynamic challenges that Target store leaders tackle each day, all while further developing their own leadership skills and professional and retail acumen. And the winner of the leadership challenge is … A head-and-shoulders photo of Aunjoli inside a circle. Aunjoli V. Myers Freshman, Florida A&M University Winning scenario: Bounce Back 2022: Care, Grow, Win Together About the experience: “While I have always felt like problem-solving is one of my strengths, this competition confirmed my beliefs and challenged me to think outside the box regarding the many aspects of technology and leadership.” Hear what all the finalists had to say about what they learned. : click to expand A banner with black text against a white background and blue triangle pattern on both ends. HBCU Technology Challenge The goal: create technical solutions to real-life projects and problems that Target software engineers are working to resolve while further developing their own technical and professional acumen. And the winning team of the technology challenge is … A head-and-shoulders photo of Mahlangu inside a circle. Mahlangu Nzunda Freshman, Jackson State University About the experience: “I discovered that I enjoy working with data and using it to solve problems, whether it’s coming up with new ways to improve something or looking for loopholes for a new opportunity.” A head-and-shoulders photo of Khaylah inside a circle. Khaylah Rose Freshman, Jackson State University About the experience: “I learned that I am very persistent when it came to coding. I actually felt like a real programmer when I literally was stuck on an issue/problem for hours. However, it was incredibly satisfying when I was able to solve the issue. Overall, I learned that persistence is key and to never give up.” Winning scenario: Develop/code a prototype to improve the shopping experience for Target guests Hear what the finalists had to say about what they learned. : click to expand A banner with black text against a white background and purple triangle pattern on both ends. HBCU Design Challenge The goal: Design artwork and graphics for Target’s 2022 Black History Month campaign, in which the HBCU Design Challenge winners’ work was featured. Our behind-the-scenes talent The talent that made the HBCU challenge possible? Our very own team members serving as judges and mentors for the students. Guiding them to success, these outstanding leaders volunteered to make this opportunity possible for the students. Take it from Ryan Borre, principal cyber security analyst at Target, who praised the passion each student had: “They helped further spark the passion in myself for this field that got me started in the first place.” Thank you to all the outstanding team members who volunteered to lead the challenges as judges and mentors. And congratulations to the challenge winners and participants — your futures are bright. Don’t miss out on the latest Target news and behind-the-scenes happenings! Subscribe to our bi weekly newsletter and get the top stories from A Bullseye View delivered straight to your inbox! Article provided by corporate.target.com