The Barry Family/Best Buy Scholars program offers new opportunities for inspired Bennies

Corie Barry ’97 is the chief executive officer of Best Buy. As a proud Bennie alumna and a trustee on the Common Boards of Saint Ben’s and Saint John’s, she’s also a passionate advocate for women’s education. She has brought this passion and heart to the work Best Buy is doing to build a strong talent pipeline in Minnesota that empowers young people to reach their potential through education and mentorship.

Saint Ben’s is pleased to announce a new partnership with Best Buy to create the Barry Family/Best Buy Scholars program. The program’s aim is to attract talented students from Best Buy Teen Tech Centers, a program of the Best Buy Foundation.

Best Buy Teen Tech Centers are safe, afterschool spaces where teens from disinvested communities develop technical skills through hands-on activities and explore their creative interests in a variety of technology fields. Centers provide access to tech education opportunities, mentorships, and build a foundation for school and career success. Best Buy supports over 50 locations across the U.S. and Canada and has a goal of building 100 by 2025.

Best Buy is focused on making meaningful impacts within their company and communities by addressing underrepresentation and providing more educational and career opportunities for those who need it most. As part of that work, the company pledged $44 million to expand college prep and career opportunities including increasing scholarship funding for Teen Tech Center youth.

The new Barry Family/Best Buy Scholars program at Saint Ben’s is an extension of that commitment.

“We’ve seen firsthand how powerful it can be when a young person has access to the technology, support and mentorship to pursue their dreams, and through our Teen Tech Centers we are committed to empowering the next generation of young leaders,” says Corie. “Saint Ben’s played such a pivotal role in my life, and I can’t think of a better place for our Best Buy Scholars program to continue to grow and help build a more inclusive talent pipeline in Minnesota.”

The Barry Family/Best Buy Scholars program will provide four-year renewable scholarships of up to $20,000/year to four students a year, beginning in fall 2023. The goal is to support 24 Bennies over 10 years.

During their time at Saint Ben’s, Barry Family/Best Buy Scholars will get the chance to take advantage of programs, opportunities and wrap-around services based on their interests, qualifications and needs – just like every Bennie. They’ll be able to pursue:

• Summer fellowships for students working at non-profits including host organizations of Best Buy Teen Tech Centers

• Mentorship through Advocates for Inclusive Mentoring, Women in STEM, or Intercultural LEAD

• Leadership programs like Bennies in Business or Hynes Scholars

• Academic enrichment and support programs like the Math and Writing Centers, Honors Program or Emerging Scholars

• Consideration for an internship at Best Buy

Students eligible to become Barry Family/Best Buy Scholars include those admitted to CSB who are current or past participants at a Best Buy Teen Tech Center or teens participating in Best Buy Foundation strategic partner organizations. For over 105 years, Bennies in every field have been learning and embracing what it takes to both innovate and inspire. This is one more exciting path for access to those opportunities.

You can learn more about supporting access to education at the College of Saint Benedict by contacting Heather Pieper-Olson, vice president of institutional advancement, at hpieperolso@csbsju.edu or 320-363-5964