Why Jose Cortez Is Taking the Challenge and Supporting Youth of Color

​We're into week three of The Great Tech Community Challenge and so far it's been incredibly inspiring to see so many in our community coming together to support this effort. Most of all, we've loved hearing the stories of why people are raising money to help us deepen our tech programs for youth of color.

One especially moving story comes from Jose Cortez, who started a fundraising team called Los Bots. Jose explains how his passion for this cause is rooted in his own personal experiences:

In 11th grade I was introduced to the idea of a career in technology by a computer teacher named Ms. Neider. She changed my course in life.

At that point, my prospects looked grim. Having just returned from dropping-out for a year, I had terrible grades. Living in a low-income household in the hood didn't help either. I wasn't sure I would graduate from high school. I considered myself lucky just to have a minimum wage job moving heavy boxes around a warehouse.

Ms. Neider opened up my world a bit. She challenged me to get to college and pursue some strange major called Computer Science. Not only did a tech career include higher pay, but it blew my mind that someone would even pay at all for something I had fun doing. Energized and focused by this idea, I had clarity in direction by 12th grade. I got my nerd on, and never looked back.

So I'm excited about Hack the Hood, a non-profit here in Oakland, dedicated to helping underprivileged youth get the skills they need for a career in tech. We recently kicked off a fundraiser with a $50k goal that will go towards running bootcamps that give kids hands-on experience with a technology project.
Help me repay Ms. Neider by funding these bootcamps that will unleash the creative energy inside a new generation of nerds!

Salud!
Jose

People like Jose are the ones fueling The Great Tech Community Challenge - those who believe in young people of color, and who know that they have unlimited potential. We're so grateful to have Jose on our team, and encourage you to support his efforts here!

Or start your own fundraising page by clicking the button below:

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