Concord Gives Back is our philanthropic program focused on supporting nonprofit organizations that hold a special meaning to our employees. Each quarter, Concord reviews nominations and selects a recipient for a financial donation.

This quarter, Concord honored Minjae Lee’s chosen philanthropic organization, HandsOn Twin Cities.

HandsOn Twin Cities is committed to promoting and facilitating volunteerism, education, and leadership development in the Twin Cities Metro Area. With more than 100 years of experience, the organization is the leader in connecting nonprofits, volunteers, and companies to provide high impact in our community.

Learn about Minjae, an Associate Consultant and Engineering First Year, and her connection to HandsOn Twin Cities below!  

What is your role at Concord?

I started at Concord two months ago and I am currently finishing my ten-week engineering training. The Engineering Training First Years are building an internal workspace application called “dibs.” The training has been phenomenal. I like how the training focuses on the breadth of software engineering principles.

Why did you choose to consult as a profession?

I chose consulting because I have always been an inquisitive and curious person. When I studied Business in undergraduate school, my two favorite courses were Business Strategy and IT Strategic Management because they exposed me to various industries and organizations.

Why did you decide to join Concord?

I am someone that values continuous learning and improvement. After talking to managers and consultants during the interview process, I knew that Concord was the place where I could continuously learn and grow. In addition, I exclusively worked with University of Minnesota students during previous internship experiences. It has been fun working with people who graduated from liberal arts colleges and bootcamps.

What are some benefits of your role at Concord?

So far, the best part has been the ten-week training program. Before starting at Concord, I felt nervous knowing that the majority of the Engineering First Years have a background in computer science or recently completed a bootcamp. Now that we are eight weeks into the training, I feel much more confident. In fact, we are working on solo stories for this sprint. I am excited to present my work next week.

How does HandsOn align with your values, passions, and/or interests?

HandsOn Twin Cities' Pro Bono Advisory Program encourages skills-based volunteerism to tech professionals. For example, their inaugural Tech Impact Day is a day-long workshop for techies to leverage their skills and tackle a challenge of a nonprofit and provide tangible solutions. This year, I decided to participate in the Tech Impact Day because I really enjoyed co-leading a pro bono consulting organization throughout college. As a working professional, it can be challenging to give my time pro bono and I am grateful that I get paid time off at Concord to give back to the community. I believe Concord's contribution to HandsOn Twin Cities will motivate Concord employees to participate in the Tech Impact Day. I also think Concord employees can pick up new skills and refine their current skills!