I’m incredibly passionate about providing opportunities to those who might not be born into an environment where they have opportunities,. Growing up in a single parent household in Chicago, I was provided opportunities by influential people who invested in me; helping with college, career, family and most importantly provided me the confidence I needed to succeed.  Because of that experience, I want to be the one that creates a space where everyone can succeed.

That space is Cultivating Coders, where our goal is to provide social impact in isolated communities, particularly for students in middle school and high school. We use project-based learning with a strong emphasis on computer science and coding. The traditional model requires students to come to an urban place to learn these skills. Our approach is to bring the learning experience to the students. We pack our tool box and parachute into communities throughout New Mexico and the Southwest. The program is free of cost to every student. Additionally, we provide a laptop to each participant, one that they keep upon completion of the camp. Technically, we don’t work in cities; we work primarily in small towns, like Gallup, Shiprock, and Espanola, New Mexico. Our impact to date: 167 students have attended camp with a 94% completion rate; over 60% of graduates are women; and 80% are Native American. Graduates of our program have gone on to work as freelancers for companies like RS21, Rural Sourcing Inc. and the City of Albuquerque.

Selecting communities to serve is the most difficult part of our process, because there is so much need for our program. Once we are engaged with a community, we then examine how invested the community is in driving the local impact component of our work; strategize with that community to identify a funding source and local stakeholders; recruit students and get to know them. Our maximum class size is 26, but we often get at least 40-50 interested students. We then have to assess students by way of a survey to test aptitude. The final part of the application process is an interview, which is the most important piece. At this stage, we see the students’ grit, determination, and any other important attribute that does not translate from test scores.

The best thing college did for me was teach me how to interact with people from all walks of life. I learned how to listen to others, with different ideas and beliefs, and have constructive discussions and dialogue. I also learned it from “hard knock university.” Learning the hard way by just doing it is the greatest school one can attend. My degree hangs on the wall and it shows that I can complete something, but the skills I learned in life are the ones I use to achieve success in business. My experiences taught me how to be an entrepreneur; when to pivot, how to work well with teammates, how to recognize the value of teammates, when to delegate, and the importance of surrounding yourself with people smarter than you.  These are the same skill sets we want our students to learn through Cultivating Coders.

The Mentors Foundation funding impacts our program by allowing us to scholarship more students into our summer coding camps for young people. The funding also allows us to purchase several more laptops for the students. We’re extremely grateful for the Mentor Foundation’s support, and we look forward to continuing our partnership for many years to come.