Digital NEST, a technology workforce development organization, has been named a recipient of the University of California – Santa Cruz 2024 Chancellor’s Innovation Impact Awards in the Community Changemaker category. Organized by the Innovation & Business Engagement Hub at UC Santa Cruz, the awards recognize outstanding research and transformational work with far-reaching impact.
The awards were presented at a celebration on May 1, 2025. Digital NEST and UC Santa Cruz share a deep and growing partnership. Today, UC Santa Cruz students intern through the Watsonville Center, and alumni serve on staff, continuing the cycle of mentorship, opportunity, and community-driven change.
“We’re honored to receive this award in recognition of our work by the community and for the community,” said Jacob Martinez, Digital NEST founder and CEO, and UC Santa Cruz Alum. “It celebrates our mission to create pathways of opportunity where talent already exists. We’re building a stronger regional ecosystem where both Digital NEST and UC Santa Cruz can fulfill our promises to transform lives through education and innovation.”
“Digital NEST is a vital partner in advancing technological workforce development across our region,” said Lori Kletzer, Campus Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor, UC Santa Cruz. “By equipping youth with the skills and experience they need to thrive, they’re creating career pathways that uplift individuals, strengthen families, and build more resilient local economies. We’re proud to collaborate with an organization so deeply committed to transforming lives and shaping a more inclusive future.”
Join us in transforming young lives across our five communities. Support Digital NEST’s award-winning work and make a lasting impact by referring youth to a NEST center, mentoring a NEST-er, hiring a NEST-er, or making a financial contribution.
About Digital NEST
Digital NEST advances economic justice by providing Latinx and all underserved youth in California with the skills, resources and network to build and launch successful careers. At state-of-the-art workforce development centers across California, NEST-ers access programs and services designed to support their progression towards wealth-building careers. Digital NEST is recognized nationally among educators, policymakers, and industry as a model for closing the digital divide in under-resourced communities throughout the country so that all youth are prepared for the career opportunities of tomorrow, no matter where they come from.
Read More Here
