NASHVILLE, Tenn., April 20, 2023 – XSOLIS, the artificial intelligence (AI) technology company creating a more efficient healthcare system, today announced the creation of a new scholarship that will provide full tuition to a qualified applicant with the Nashville Software School (NSS). Volney Powlis was selected as the inaugural recipient of the XSOLIS Scholarship and will be studying software engineering with Java/Amazon Web Services (AWS) specialization. XSOLIS will be covering Powlis’ tuition for the full, 9-month NSS software engineering program.
“We are so grateful to XSOLIS for its generous contribution to the Nashville Software School and for helping to further the education of individuals who are interested in pursuing technology jobs,” said John Wark, founder and CEO for the Nashville Software School. “With support from companies like XSOLIS, NSS is able to create more opportunities for its students to access high-paying and rewarding tech careers.”
The XSOLIS Scholarship to the Nashville Software School was established to champion and invest in learning opportunities that will increase diversity and inclusion in the technology sector. Individuals qualify for the scholarship if they meet program qualifications, qualify to receive tuition funding, and are a member of at least one underrepresented group (BIPOC, women, non-gender identified, veterans, LGBTQ+).
“My number one goal is to become a software engineer and ultimately leave an impact on my chosen field,” said Powlis. “I’m excited to have the opportunity to explore what fields and opportunities exist as a result of my studies. Receiving this scholarship has affirmed my decision to pursue a career in technology because my life is literally changing before my eyes. If you talked to me six months ago, there’s no way I would believe this is happening. It’s truly incredible.”
Powlis graduated from Oakland High School in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and attended Middle Tennessee State University to get a degree in finance before making the decision to pursue a career in software and technology. His interest in computers began at a young age with video games, but seeing a friend play Super Mario Bros. on a TI-89 sparked his interest in software programming. As a classically trained upright bassist and self-taught pianist, guitarist, percussionist and vocalist, Powlis also taught himself how to write and record music with Logic Pro, an Apple software program for producing music tracks.
“Music can be a very happenstance industry, where a lot of things have to fall into place,” said Powlis. “I’ve always been interested in software engineering and computers, and I had a moment of realization to take my future and my career by the reins. Since software engineering was already something I was interested in, I decided to just go for it.”
As part of the scholarship, Powlis will also receive mentorship from XSOLIS leaders to help reinforce his NSS learnings and inspire possibilities for future career options.
“It’s extremely important to provide financially disadvantaged and underrepresented communities with more avenues into the field of technology to help build a more diverse and robust talent pool in our industry,” said Joan Butters, CEO and co-founder of XSOLIS. “We’re thrilled to partner with NSS and support Volney as he starts his career, and we cannot wait to see what opportunities he has during this program and beyond.”
To learn more about the XSOLIS Scholarship to the Nashville Software School and other scholarship programs at NSS, please visit: http://nashss.com/scholarships.
 technology company creating a more efficient healthcare system, today announced the creation of a new scholarship that will provide full tuition to a qualified applicant with the Nashville Software School (NSS).){kind=link}