Keeping Up with Kesha
Hack the Hood believes in highlighting the young people who have brought their skills and passions to our program to inspire others. We're profiling a different young leader each month to share their journey through Hack the Hood and beyond, with Kesha being our June feature.
What made you decide to join Hack the Hood (HtH)? When did you start with HtH?
I heard about Hack the Hood two years ago because my friend, Luke, joined a program and had nothing but good things to say about it. At that time, I had already made it my goal to break into a tech career through software engineering, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to join the Tech Ladder program in Spring 2018.What did you learn that was unexpected? Was there anything that surprised you about the program?
During the Tech Ladder program, we learned about HTML, CSS, Javascript, and a variety of professional skills. I was already familiar with all of those skills, but what really surprised me was that I learned what it looked like to be in a community. I’ve joined a couple of tech programs in the past, and for me, the Hack the Hood team (and even students) really embodied the meaning of community. Everyone was very positive and uplifting. Even after you’ve graduated from the programs, Hack the Hood still makes an effort to connect with you to support your journey.What has your journey post- Hack the Hood looked like?
I enrolled in Code Berkeley at Berkeley City College but it wasn’t successful for me due to scheduling issues with the school. Then I took a year off and worked to save up money. In January 2020, I joined the Adobe Digital Academy through General Assembly. I was able to graduate from General Assembly’s Software Engineering Immersive and landed an internship with Adobe right when the shelter-in-place order started. I am a Solutions Developer on the Digital Media team. My role’s a bit of a hybrid - there’s a mix of design and coding. It’s been a great experience so far.What do you do for fun?
I like to make music, photography, and fashion design. With music, I like to make everything - Rap, RnB, Trap, EDM, Afropop - and I’ve worked with indie artists within the Bay Area, Baltimore, Atlanta, and even Nigeria. I haven’t really been in the music scene as much lately since I’ve been immersed in my Adobe internship. Throughout the quarantine, I’ve been spending my time trying to learn different skills. I’ve been getting into Forex Trading and Blockchain.What are your favorite foods?
My favorite foods are cheese pizza, fettuccine alfredo, and tacos. When it comes to restaurants, I love going to Souley Vegan, Grandeur, Malibu’s Burgers, and Vegan Mob. They’re all vegan, all black-owned, and I highly recommend them to everyone.What are three places you enjoy visiting in the Bay Area and beyond?
I love hanging out at Jack London Square, Pier 39, Oakland Hills, Lake Merritt, and Berkeley Marina.Who are your top music artists?
Sam Smith, J.Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Jhene Aiko, Tink, Burna Boy, Future, Summer Walker, H.E.R, Billie Eilish, Brent Faiyaz, Simi, Adekunle Gold, Falz, Teni, Rema, Nonso Amadi, DaVido, Roddy Ricch, 6lack, Miguel and Michael Jackson.Who do you follow on Insta?
Afropop Artists, Black Fashion Designers, Black Streetwear Brands, and Music ProducersWhere’d you grow up? What do you like about the Bay Area?
I was born and raised in Louisiana and also spent some time in Texas. I moved to the Bay Area in 2016 because it has a lot of resources to get into tech the nontraditional way. On top of the weather and scenery, what I love about the Bay Area, especially Oakland, is the diversity and strong sense of community. I also love that I am surrounded by like-minded individuals and how everyone tries to embody a healthy lifestyle.What’s something you’d like to see change in Oakland? What do you want your contribution to that change to be?
I’d like to see Oakland folks to be a part of tech, instead of being pushed away from it. I think Oakland should definitely have more programs for people to immerse themselves in tech and for the city to have more funding for black, indigenous, people of color, and women to start their own companies. I would ideally like to contribute to the community by starting a mentorship program for people who are barely breaking into tech. There are different avenues to get into the industry. You don’t necessarily have to be good at math or know software engineering, and I want young people to be aware of that.What do you appreciate about today’s technology?
I appreciate how you can solve problems through technology, like how you can learn new things by searching it on Google, track coronavirus, or use your phone and social media to call out police brutality. Technology is crazy and constantly changing, and I want to be a part of the innovation.What type of technology do you wish you had but hasn’t been invented yet?
It would be great if we could have a teleportation device. I would definitely use it to go on vacation to places like Bali or Bora-Bora.What would be your dream job? What do you want to be when you grow up?
Well, I am already grown up. Haha. But my dream job would be to create my own tech company that focuses on artificial intelligence and machine learning to solve issues within disparities amongst underserved populations. I have a long way to go. I know I still need to gain more experiences, skills, and build a network, but I do plan to fulfill that dream.
