Blockchain Education in the US Set to Reach New Heights
As we all know, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have been reaching all-time highs recently, with no sign of slowing. With this increased interest in buying and trading cryptocurrencies, comes a related spike in interest from all over to understand and apply Blockchain technology.
As the market expands, so does the need for experienced talent. Now more than ever, Universities specifically are an ideal place to provide education and resources to the next generation of leaders to give them the tools they need to be successful in a nascent and emerging industry.
Colleges have been especially eager to bring on accredited Blockchain courses, while the students want more access to this education and help in preparing for a career in the Blockchain industry.
Since the founding of the Blockchain Education Network (BEN) in 2014 by Jeremy Gardner at the University of Michigan, it has been providing support, education, and mentorship to student leaders all around the world interested in getting involved in Blockchain. BEN has seen unprecedented growth in and out of the USA as it has expanded into Canada, Africa, Turkey, Italy, LatAm, and more, reaching 90+ Blockchain clubs and organizations. With this growth came a need to expand the US team to focus on US clubs and initiatives.
Luckily, a team of rockstars from the year-old non-profit Midwest Blockchain Consortium was perfect for the challenge. They had the original mission of recruiting, consulting, and providing educational projects to students in the Midwest. Recently, they saw the need to expand to the entirety of the US to have a greater impact. Then a few weeks ago, they merged with BEN to become the first board members of the Blockchain Education Network’s US National chapter (BEN USA).
BEN USA will establish a deeper connection with universities, clubs, and organizations in the US to give students the education, skills, and connections they need to become leaders in the Blockchain Industry. With BEN USA already comprising over 50 clubs in the US, they can have an immense impact in a short time.
What Will BEN USA Do?
Below is an overview of the goals of BEN USA for 2021:
- Assist University Blockchain Clubs to coordinate and broadcast events, as well as helping them partner with other clubs, distinguished speakers, and innovative companies.
- Bring accredited Blockchain courses to Universities in the US.
- Give students hands-on technical experience in developing real-world Blockchain projects, like the BENcoin, an ERC-20 social token used to incentivize learning and participation at BEN.
- Match students with their ideal roles in the Blockchain space.
- Create a Global Blockchain Talent Report with input from hundreds of enterprise companies and students. It will show who is hiring what roles in the industry and how students are learning and preparing for Blockchain careers.
- Create a grant and mentorship program to support student talent and innovation.
- Give students free, exclusive access to virtual and (eventually) in-person Blockchain conferences and hackathons, including airfare and Airbnbs.
Who is BEN USA?
Ashton Barger, President
In Ashton’s main role, he is a Search Engine Optimization Analyst for Red Ventures, learning new things every day about the digital marketing industry and becoming a well-rounded marketing expert.
Ashton is also the Co-Founder and CEO of Blox Blockchain Consulting, where he challenges talented young developers to bring exciting blockchain web apps to life.
Ashton is a 2020 Graduate of the Miami University Farmer School of Business and was a former President of the Miami University Blockchain Club in 2019, where he hosted the first Miami U Blockchain Conference, Miami Blockathon, and Virtual Blockchain Conference.
As the President of BEN USA, he will bring together Blockchain clubs to collaborate and host events, along with leading his fellow passionate, trailblazing board members to success.
Alec Shaw, VP
Alec provides emerging technology education and implementation consulting to medium to large companies in the greater Milwaukee area with the Euphrates Group, Founded in 2017. Alec is also a co-founder and past President of Marquette University’s Blockchain Lab.
Alec was previously the Manager at Blue and Gold Ventures, where he educated the next generation of change leaders. Alec was awarded Wisconsin Inno’s 25 Under 25 Innovators for this work. Alec now works as a Partner of Marketing at Sperax.
As Vice President of BEN USA, he will be building strategic partnerships with companies that share a similar mission and vision as BEN.
Gerardo Garcia, Treasurer
Gerardo is currently a Senior at Loyola University Chicago pursuing a degree in Accounting and Finance.
He has interned with PricewaterhouseCoopers for the last two summers as part of their Digital Risk Assurance Team. He is also the Co-Founder and Treasurer of Blockchain@LUC. Before University, Gerardo Worked for the DoD and served two Combat Deployments as part of OEF.
Adam Patel, Board Member
Adam is an intern at Token Daily / Volt Capital, a crypto venture fund based out of SF. He founded Blockchain@LUC, Loyola University Chicago’s very first blockchain club, which he is the current president of.
He is a 3rd-year student majoring in computer science; however, in his first 2 years on campus, he was a finance/econ/accounting triple major where he gained extensive knowledge in those fields.
Adam has been involved in Crypto since 2015, and constantly looks to learn about the space. At BEN USA, he will connect and engage students across campuses to host educational events, while working to grow the overall community.
Jack Gilcrest, Board Member
Jack is a Project Manager for Senary Blockchain Ventures, architecting a commercial Ethereum-based supply chain procurement application.
Jack served as President of Miami University Blockchain Club in 2020 where he helped organize the Blockchain Accounting Summit and the release of the MUBC OrgToken App.
Jack Co-Founded and currently serves as Chief Technology Officer of Blox Consulting. Jack served as the smart contract engineer and scrum master in two consulting engagements in 2019 and 2020.
At BEN USA, he will provide student developers with paid professional opportunities, internships, and mentored environments to upskill in the highly demanded technologies required to keep up with blockchain in 2021.
Zain Habib, Board Member
Zain is currently a senior at Indiana University studying finance and technology management. During his college career, he has had the opportunity to co-found and lead Blockchain@IU, IU’s very own blockchain-dedicated student organization.
In his past role of president, his team organized multiple speaking events, constructed a Blockchain fundamentals course, and grew their membership base.
At BEN USA, he will be focused on rolling out accredited Blockchain courses to Universities, along with helping BEN provide more free online Blockchain courses and certifications to students.
This article was written by Ashton Barger, President of BEN USA. If you are interested in joining the Blockchain Education Network, BEN USA communication channels, or supporting our mission in any way, please head over to the BEN website or reach out to alec@blockchainedu.org. BEN is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that operates mainly from donations.
