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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 Ariel being our September feature.   1. How did you find out about HtH? What made you decide to join? When did you start with HtH? I heard about Hack the Hood a couple of years ago from my then-roommate, Jodie. Back then, I was already working full-time as a cafe manager but wanted to learn some tech skills, like coding. Jodie overheard me talking to my partner about how I want to get into tech and said, “you could join Hack the Hood. That’s the program I was a part of. Hold up, I actually just got an email from them. Let me forward it to you. I gotchu.” I was a little hesitant to apply because I had many things going on at the time, but Jodie encouraged me to. So I went through the interview process and was accepted. I felt like the timing was perfect. I was already about to look for opportunities, and it found me. I joined the Fall 2018 Tech Prep: Coding program, and it’s been my best tech experience yet. 2. What did you learn that was unexpected? Was there anything that surprised you about the program? There were a couple of things that surprised me! I distinctly remember sitting next to someone at the start of my class and was surprised to learn he was older than 24 - the age cutoff for the program. That’s when I realized that, even though there was an age range, Hack the Hood chose to prioritize their commitment to helping underrepresented and under resourced folks break into tech. It felt like “wow, y’all really are about what you say you’re about - which is trying to connect like underrepresented folks.” And I love that. Especially since that classmate I just mentioned spoke Spanish as his first language. If I can recall, I remember a conversation about how Hack the Hood was trying to figure out how to expand their program to include folks whose first language isn’t English and folks who were previously incarcerated. I’m not sure if anything has come out of that conversation; these aren’t things that I see talked about in any tech spaces. Not only are folks thinking about it, but they’re proactively trying to figure out how to make it happen. I feel like “community” gets thrown around a lot in different spaces like a buzzword. And I feel like it’s different when I actually see it in action. It felt like Hack the Hood was really embodying “community.” 3. What has your journey post- Hack the Hood looked like? I’d say I’m still working to break into tech. After graduating from Hack the Hood, I was still working full-time as a cafe manager while juggling to learn more advanced coding on my own. The cafe was a small mom-owned business. A lot of the work fell on me, so I pretty much ran the entire shop. It came to a point where I realized like I wasn’t able to dedicate the time to learn the things I want to while also being on-call all the time at work. It wasn’t healthy or sustainable. I decided to quit my job, live off my savings for a bit, and apply to other bootcamps. I got accepted into Techtonica and joined their Software Engineering Apprenticeship in December 2019. It’s a lot more self-learning than I was expecting, but they do provide stipends, and I read that they had a 100% placement rate with a sponsor company - so that’s what I was looking forward to. Unfortunately, due to COVID, a lot of the company internships fell through, so only 3 of 13 were placed with a sponsor company but they were able to secure a fellowship position for the rest of us. Now, I am at Major League Hacking. I’ve been a fellow since July and what I do is open-source coding (contribute to projects that are hosted on Github publicly). I’ll be doing that until October 2nd. It’s a little hazy after that. I’ve been offered a position at a Data Analyst bootcamp but I’m still figuring out what the next move will be. We’ll see, fingers crossed. 4. What do you do for fun? I do a lot of different things for fun. I love gardening and being a plant parent. I have a collection of indoor plants in my room, and I’ve been growing vegetables and herbs outside. It’s my favorite de-stressor. Another thing that I do is I try to have weekly video calls with my 10-year-old nephew and we try to do different activities together. He likes to introduce me to new games, so we’ll play it together. I’m also trying to slightly nudge him to learn tech. I also love playing video games. I have hella housemates, and we’ll have a regular gaming marathon playing Crash Bandicoot, Mario Kart, or Mortal Combat. 5. What are your favorite foods? I want to say if it’s spicy, I’m going to love it. If it’s not Mexican food, I really enjoy Indian or Korean food because it has the spice level that I like. Specifically, I love tortas ahogadas. It’s a traditional dish of the region where my parents are from - Guadalajara, Jalisco. I like it even more when my mom makes it, but truth be told, I made it recently, and I think it tasted better. (I’m not going to tell her that though.) This is going to sound weird, but I also love old people food. There’s something I love about fibrous foods - like oatmeal and like shredded wheat. I don’t know, like the mushy stuff. I love it. 6. What are three places you enjoy visiting in the Bay Area and beyond? I love being anywhere with water. My last name is Ríos, which means rivers so I feel super grounded when I’m in or near water. If I could live in it, I would. I also enjoy being anywhere that has super old, massive trees - like the redwoods. I feel like they’re the grandparent roots of the world. This may be an unpopular opinion, but I’m not a big fan of city skylines. I’d prefer to see views of mountains and trees - like in Joaquin Miller Park or Grizzly Peak.   7. Who are your top music artists? I feel so disconnected from this. A lot of the music I like or listen to currently doesn’t necessarily have words or lyrics to them. Lately, I just go to YouTube and search for low-fi hip-hop beats. I can’t think of that many artists I specifically listen to though. I’m trying to listen more to The Weeknd just because he’s apparently number one on Spotify. 8. Who do you follow on Insta? I don’t have much of a presence on Instagram. I tap in every now and then. I mostly follow cutie (QT) BIPOC centered pages, anything with a queer/trans lens. I follow a lot of fat pages and black, sex worker, (hood) healer pages. That’s pretty much all my Instagram content. 9. Where’d you grow up? What do you like about the Bay Area? I grew up in Compton, California. C-O-M-P-T-O-N. Straight outta Compton, all those things. That’s where I’m originally from, but I’ve been in the Bay area for about eight years, going on nine. So I’ve been here a minute. I came here to study at UC Berkeley and haven’t left since. I say I grew up in Compton, but then I grew up a second time here. Next to Compton, Oakland feels like home. Oakland reminds me very much of where I’m from. I’ve got deep love and a sense of responsibility for this place. Oakland is super different from LA’s vibes. They’re both cities, but I feel like LA moves so much quicker and, unfortunately, a lot more independently. I think folks out in LA have this mentality of “I’m out here to get my own,” which I respect and understand, but I think there’s a different vibe up here. This is where I learned more about community, honestly. I think the Bay area uses a lot of buzz words, which can get tiring, but then when you find those pockets, there’s a deep desire to build community in these spaces. And I think that’s why a lot of folks are here. Like you feel more seen, more represented. You feel more heard, and you feel like you can find those specialized places where you can talk, and people will understand. 10. What’s something you’d like to see change in Oakland? What do you want your contribution to that change to be? As a kid, I fantasized about somehow owning property and then sort of giving it away. It’s actually still a dream of mine. I wouldn’t know the legal aspects of doing that, but there are way too many homeless people. There should never be that many homeless people. And the unfortunate reality is, as someone who isn’t originally from Oakland, I do say to myself, “I’m not here making hella money and gentrifying the area, but I live in a house that isn't affordable for an average family to own or live in.” So I do have gentrifier’s guilt. Truth be told, I’m not from here, and a lot of these folks who are homeless are Oakland/Bay Area natives. So I would love to develop some kind of land ownership program somehow. I want to figure out how I can own property where people can rent to own at an affordable price in a shorter amount of time, so they’re not renting their life away or worrying about stability. It’s a huge dream, and I know there’s a lot of details and work I’m not aware of, but I aspire for that to happen. 11. What do you appreciate about today’s technology? I think the things that make me upset about technology are also the things that I appreciate about it. There’s a lot to be said. Unfortunately, I feel folks sometimes feel entitled to people’s time because we are connected so instantly - and that bugs me. At the same time, wow, we’re able to have long-distance conversations because of technology. I, and many others, have access to bootcamps that we wouldn’t usually be able to join. Parents who previously had to leave their homes all the time can now work from home. Well, not all of them. I also acknowledge it’s still a privilege, but I think that there’s so much power in technology to bridge access gaps. That’s what I admire the most about technology, where you can build apps and products that help folks who have physical disabilities or speech impediments or provide resources to folks who need it most. We just need to get the right people in tech. 12. What type of technology do you wish you had but hasn’t been invented yet? This is a tough question to answer, but I think it would probably be something aligning with health. There is a disproportionate amount of health issues in the black and brown communities, and I believe that technology could very much create a solution to provide more access. I’ve been battling to get my medical insurance for the last week and a half. I wish there could be apps to help streamline these processes for folks to instantly connect to their healthcare providers without having to play phone tag with the government as I did. 13. What would be your dream job? What do you want to be when you grow up? My dream is to work on the land. I know that sounds counterintuitive because my people have worked the land for so long, and the whole point of organizations like Hack the Hood is to give folks more economic opportunities. But that’s what I really want to do. It brings me a lot of peace and joy to put my hands or feet straight into the dirt. If I could own land, grow my own food, and somehow give that food to free for other folks (while still being self sustained, of course), that would be the dream.  Photography by Christine Cueto.
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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 Calvin being our August feature.   1. What made you decide to join Hack the Hood (HtH)? When did you start with HtH? I found out about HtH after walking by the building. I searched it up online and learned about their coding bootcamps. I joined Hack the Hood because I wanted to gain new skills in tech. I started with Hack the Hood in February 2019 for their first 9-week Spring Bootcamp. 2. What did you learn that was unexpected? Was there anything that surprised you about the program? I learned that tech was more than just coding and software. It’s easy to fall into the idea that tech involves a bunch of people sitting behind desks and typing their days away. However, there are many different departments. There are the design team, financial department, human resources, and so much more. 3. What has your journey post- Hack the Hood looked like? My post-Hack the Hood journey involved plenty of job-hunting and reflecting on my goals. I eventually landed a job as a data analyst with the Surplus Lines Association of California. I have been working there for almost a year now. 4. What do you do for fun? I like to cook and write stories. I’ve always gravitated towards these things because they involve creativity and experimenting to get the best results. 5. What are your favorite foods? My favorite foods are tacos, noodle soup, fried chicken, and anything spicy. 6. What are three places you enjoy visiting in the Bay Area and beyond? My favorite places in the Bay Area are Alameda Beach, the local taco truck, and my grandparent’s house.   7. Who are your top music artists? My top artists usually change, but Ed Sheeran, J Cole, and Alicia Keys consistently remain at the top. At this moment, Lin Manuel Miranda (because of Hamilton) and Taylor Swift are pretty up there. 8. Who do you follow on Insta? I don’t have an Instagram, which probably means I lose about 10 cool points. 9. Where’d you grow up? What do you like about the Bay Area? I grew up in Oakland. I love the diversity in the Bay Area because it gives me the opportunity to learn about different cultures. By learning about other cultures, we expose ourselves to new ideas, practices, and knowledge that help with our growth. 10. What’s something you’d like to see change in Oakland? What do you want your contribution to that change to be? I want to see small, local businesses thrive even in the midst of gentrification and other changes to the city. I want my contribution to be buying from and supporting local businesses by connecting them to Hack the Hood so they can expand their business online. 11. What do you appreciate about today’s technology? I appreciate that it keeps us connected even when it’s difficult to see each other. 12. What type of technology do you wish you had but hasn’t been invented yet? I wish there was a bullet train that connected Northern California to Southern California. People from Northern California often visit Southern California, and the same is true the other way around. Bullet trains might be a little slower than planes, but they are usually more spacious and relaxing. 13. What would be your dream job? What do you want to be when you grow up? My dream job would be to help create stories for an animation studio. I want to be a writer someday. It isn’t a technology-based career, but technology often informs or influences the kinds of stories I write.  Photography by Christine Cueto.
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 Terrence being our July feature.   1. What made you decide to join Hack the Hood (HtH)? When did you start with HtH? At the start of 2018, I was having a conversation about bitcoin and tech with a friend of mine. They brought up Hack the Hood and informed me about an upcoming bootcamp. I immediately went to the website to learn more about the organization and told myself that I have to join it ASAP. I applied just in time and was able to join the Spring 2018 Bootcamp. I joined because I believe in the end result of Hack the Hood - to give underrepresented individuals an opportunity to become the representations they’ve always wanted to see. I was looking for a way to help the youth see themselves in tech. 2. What did you learn that was unexpected? Was there anything that surprised you about the program? The fact that an organization like Hack the Hood existed was already a surprise to me. I couldn’t believe that their program would provide you a free laptop and pay you to learn. Everything I experienced during the program led to a shift in my mindset - business trips to tech companies, networking, learning about the impostor syndrome, and codeswitching. The Bootcamp helped me realize that I already have what it takes to succeed and that I can use resources like Hack the Hood to get me to where I want to go. 3. What has your journey post- Hack the Hood looked like? After graduating from Hack the Hood, I decided to save up money to join a more intensive bootcamp, Coding Dojo. This helped me get more acclimated to the tech scene and continue to network with folks in the industry. It was exciting to notice how my confidence in my technical abilities rapidly grew. After that, I spent time teaching software and robotic fundamentals at an after-school program called CodeRev Kids. In 2019, I became an Associate Systems Engineer for F5 Networks. I am currently working on a Full Stack Engineering Apprenticeship with Geekwise, thanks to Hack the Hood. I was introduced to the organization through Hack the Hood’s Director of Opportunities, Alex Mora, and a great time. I was already looking for work opportunities due to the impact of COVID-19. I’m really grateful that Hack the Hood continues to engage with their youth during these uncertain times. Since I started my apprenticeship, I have been able to work on an app for an international brand that’s available in both Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store. 4. What do you do for fun? Work, work, and more work. That’s fun for me, it’s my version of playing video games because I’m so addicted to learning and building my tech skills. I do understand that everyone needs a break, so I like to do activities with my 1-year-old son to help benefit both of us.   5. What are your favorite foods? Home-cooked meals hands-down are my favorite. I also like a good smoothie for brunch. 6. What are three places you enjoy visiting in the Bay Area and beyond? I don’t have any specific spots in mind, but I enjoy just being out in nature -whether it’s at the beach, hiking, or places like Yosemite. 7. Who are your top music artists? I don’t have anyone specific, I really just go on Free Code Camp Radio or Youtube and type in ‘jazz’ and just let it play. Ido enjoy FJK and Masego 8. Who do you follow on Insta? I honestly haven’t been on Instagram in a while. I’ve been taking a social media detox for the past couple of months. Whenever I am on it though, I would follow public speakers, health and wellness folks, and technology icons. 9. Where’d you grow up? What do you like about the Bay Area? I grew up in Newark. Growing up, I moved around a lot in the East Bay. I’m currently residing in Tracy with my wife and son. Though I moved out of the Bay Area earlier this year, what I like about it is the diversity. It’s a melting pot. You can learn just by getting to know people and their culture. I believe that’s beneficial, especially today when America is so divided and set in its ways. 10. 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 change the hue of technology in the Bay Area, to make it more diverse, not just in ethnicity but also in backgrounds. I am doing this by constantly promoting and sharing organization, like Hack the Hood, to other individuals. There are already resources to help you succeed and I want my community to be aware of that. 11. What do you appreciate about today’s technology? I appreciate the fact that technology is openly available to the public. It can be difficult at times to get in-depth knowledge, but it’s there if you just keep searching for it. 12. What type of technology do you wish you had but hasn’t been invented yet? I believe the current state of technology has the ability to heal and stop diseases. We’ve advanced so much over the past decades and I feel like we still have a long way to go. 13. What would be your dream job? What do you want to be when you grow up? As cool as it would be to work in one of the top tech companies, my dream job would be to start my own company and create technology that is part of advancing healthcare.  Photography by Christine Cueto.
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. 
 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 Walter being our February feature.   1. What made you decide to join Hack the Hood (HtH)? When did you start with HtH? I initially joined Hack the Hood in the spring of 2017. I learned about the organization from a tech workshop that was happening at my school. I decided on joining Hack the Hood because it seemed like a good opportunity to try something new and learn new things and meet new people and I always want to learn how to code and understand how software works on the backend. I first joined their Tech Prep Coding and then after that class, I signed up for Hack the Hood bootcamp. It was pretty fun because we made websites and play with different programs and it was really cool. I would definitely do it again. 2. What did you learn that was unexpected? Was there anything that surprised you about the program?I learned that there are multiple ways to solve a coding problem. What really surprised me was how easy it was to create websites in the class, using Weebly. It was a great introduction to learning about web design. 3. What has your journey post- Hack the Hood looked like? My journey has been a bit tough. College didn’t really work out and I couldn’t be on the debate team and wrestling team due to some unfortunate circumstances. So I joined the Navy a few months ago. I recently completed boot camp and made a lot of connections there. It was fun. Now, I about to head to Japan for my deployment and I’m hoping I get to see all the amazing food, anime, and video games while I’m there. 4. What do you do for fun? I enjoy playing video games, I debate, and I also play and coach wrestling. I started wrestling in middle school and I have wrestled for 10 years. I have been debating for 5 years and I started in high school, during my sophomore year. 5. What are your favorite foods? My favorite foods are pizza, chicken curry, and lasagna.   6. What are three places you enjoy visiting in the Bay Area and beyond? I enjoy visiting Arkansas and San Francisco. Arkansas is such a beautiful place and there are a lot of cool landmarks - like the Buffalo National River. It is such a beautiful sight to behold. As for San Francisco, there is a lot of technology all around the city. Hanging out at the beaches in San Francisco is pretty cool. There are also a lot of gaming companies in San Francisco that have created some of my favorite games. 7. Who are your top music artists? My top music artists are Black Veil Brides, Halsey, Ellie Goulding, and Post Malone. 8. Who do you follow on Insta? I only follow people I know and a few famous people on Instagram, like Halsey, Post Malone, and Ellie Goulding. 9. Where’d you grow up? What do you like about the Bay Area? I was born in Oakland but I grew up in both Oakland and Sacramento. The one thing I like about the Bay Area is that there is a lot of diversity in the population and in the restaurants around the Bay Area. 10. What’s something you’d like to see change in Oakland? What do you want your contribution to that change to be? I would like to see these empty buildings being used to help out the young people and get them off these streets. I would love to contribute by trying to buy some of these properties and turning them into something that benefits the young people in our community. 11. What do you appreciate about today’s technology? I appreciate that today’s technology makes things more accessible. For example, smartphones make it so easy to connect with your friends and meet up. Also, it makes it so you don’t really have to do a lot to get the thing you need done, like how Uber has Uber eats that is an app that gets food delivered to you. 12. What type of technology do you wish you had but hasn’t been invented yet? I wish I had a flying car because it seems like fun. 13. What would be your dream job? What do you want to be when you grow up? My dream job would be to own my own gaming company, making MMORPG (massively-multiplayer online role-playing games) and VR games.  Photography by Christine Cueto.
In the past two weeks, you have met Brayan and Claudia - two of Hack the Hood’s growing group of community members. Now, to further introduce you to more of the great people that make Hack the Hood special, meet Jeanette. As Jeanette mentioned, when she discovered Hack the Hood, she was going through a life change and was looking for something different. Her experience with Hack the Hood’s Bootcamp and introduction to web design didn’t just propel her forward to start her own business, Labios Mios, but also allowed her to put action to her values of elevating Latina representation, promoting vegan beauty products, and supporting her community by helping other small businesses with their websites.
We are so lucky to have Jeanette join our Spring 2019 Bootcamp and proud to watch her go from being intimidated by tech to using it to empower herself and her community. It is Hack the Hood’s goal in 2020 to make sure more values are being turned into action and your gift today can kick start that mission - and make sure your values are reflected into action too. It takes all of us to make sure values move the needle. In honor of Giving Tuesday and Hack the Hood’s 2019 Community Giving Challenge, we would like to introduce you to Hack the Hood alumni, Brayan. After participating in Hack the Hood’s first 9-week Bootcamp and partnering with Claudia Rivas, owner of Señorita Vegerita, to design her small catering business’s website, 22-year-old Brayan was hungry for more. With more confidence, inspiration, and a new passion for UX/UI design, Brayan has said yes to opportunity after opportunity to further his career and curiosity. Most recently, Brayan was selected for the Adobe Digital Academy Scholarship, which opens the door to him attending the User Experience Design Immersive at General Assembly. After graduating from GA, Brayan will be eligible to join a three to six month technical internship at Adobe.
Now, this doesn’t just happen and, in fact, it takes a lot of work. Brayan has put in a ton of work and Hack the Hood has been there every step of the way supporting him through the ups and downs. Just like Brayan says, “We are gonna come across these challenges, these barriers, these imposter syndromes. And it is normal. We don’t have a lot of people like us in [tech] communities but we have the right to be.” Hack the Hood agrees. Young people of color have the right to be in tech communities, gaining access to good careers and gainful economic mobility. Do you agree? Agree by donating today. Your financial support of Hack the Hood goes directly toward funding programs like our spring bootcamp, where young people like Brayan gain exposure to careers in tech and begin managing their small business clients for the first time. Be a part of the movement of young tech innovators who not only want to change the face of tech but have aspirations of transforming the entire industry. Donate here or create a team and get that team to donate collectively to Hack the Hood. Even better: tell your friends and family about our campaign too! The Bay Area can be a place where young people of color gain access to good tech jobs and it can start with your donation. Better yet: become a recurring monthly donor to make sure that statement continues all year long! 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 Eddrena being our October feature.   1. What made you decide to join Hack the Hood (HtH)? When did you start with HtH? The decision wasn’t 100% all mine, although I was very interested in learning new skills . I had been getting into a lot of trouble as a teenager and young adult growing up in Marin county. So my aunt who lives in Oakland found out about Hack the Hood and enrolled me in one of the programs. I moved to Oakland, joined the Summer 2015 Bootcamp, and have been a proud alumna ever since. 2. What did you learn that was unexpected? Was there anything that surprised you about the program? I learned a lot about business and entrepreneurship. That has helped me in my career today. What surprised me about the program is that all of the staff had other things they were passionate about outside of Hack the Hood and they would share their passions. It was a great environment to grow and learn real life skills. 3. What has your journey post- Hack the Hood looked like? I’ve been working closely with a lot of Oakland natives on art, music, and film through Wine and Bowties. I’ve also been elevating my career path and I am currently the manager of a 3d photo studio in San Francisco called Doob 3D. 4. What do you do for fun? I enjoy riding my bike, shadow boxing, and multimedia art. I also watch anime on funimation, Crunchyroll, AnimeHeaven, Netflix, and Hulu. 5. What are your favorite foods? I love seafood, Ethiopian food, Thai food and Japanese food. 6. What are three places you enjoy visiting in the Bay Area and beyond? I love going to Lake Merritt on a warm day. I can sit out with everyone and soak up all the great energy that Oakland provides. I love thrifting in the city and finding my next favorite item to wear. I also love going up in the Berkeley Hills for some adventurous hikes and great scenery.   7. Who are your top music artists? Toro y Moi, Lil Pump, Neotec, Strfkr, Made in Heights, Clean Bandit, Audio Bullies. 8. Who do you follow on insta? I follow so many artists, designers and rappers. It’s hard to narrow it down but to name a few: @asapferg @philipjvo.ai @plroblem6oy @leftnrightrecords @siribo510 9. Where’d you grow up? What do you like about the Bay Area? I grew up in Marin and San Francisco. Then I moved to Oakland. So you could say I’m HELLA BAY. I’ve been here my whole life. I've lived all over the Bay and worked within the communities that I lived in. What makes me hella bay is my style, my slang, and my determination to stay in the bay no matter the cost. I love the vibes I get in the Bay. You can’t get that anywhere else. 10. What’s something you’d like to see change in Oakland? What do you want your contribution to that change to be? I want there to be more affordable housing and to help the homeless get back to being part of our community. What I want my contribution to be is a helping hand. I give out water, clothes, shoes, and food to anyone in need in the Bay. 11. What do you appreciate about today’s technology? I appreciate how connected we are and radical we can be with these connections . 12. What type of technology do you wish you had, but hasn’t been invented yet? I wish there was a machine you could step inside and on the monitor it would tell you exactly what you needed to have your body back at 100% health. Then, it would give you all the meds and or liquids you'd need to be healthy again. 13. What would be your dream job? What do you want to be when you grow up? I want to be a stylist, designer, and all-around great artist when I grow up. I would love to be a clothing designer that makes clothes for everyday life that looks dope while still being utilitarian.  Photography by Christine Cueto.
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 Luke being our September feature.   1. What made you decide to join Hack the Hood (HtH)? When did you start with HtH? I always wanted to be in tech. When I came to California almost 4 years ago, I spent a good bit of time searching for ways to go back to school for Computer Science. In my search I met one of Hack the Hood's current students. He invited me to come to an info session (mostly for the free food). When I came in I met bootcamp instructor, RC, and he talked to me about tech bootcamps and how Hack the Hood could help me with my goals. I immediately applied for the next bootcamp. I did however end up missing out on that one, but the very next year, 2017, I ended up going the Tech Prep Coding cohort that year. 2.What did you learn that was unexpected? Was there anything that surprised you about the program? Most of what I learned was unexpected. I think the MOST unexpected thing was my love of Python, thanks to RC. I was really surprised by how supportive the staff, volunteers, and other students were. They really supported me with everything I wanted to learn, even things outside of the curriculum. 3. What has your journey post- Hack the Hood looked like? After the first class I took at Hack the Hood, I attended General Assembly to amp up my skills a little more and between those two I interned for Google, Cruise, Youth Radio, and a few other places. Most recently, I used the knowledge I had to apply for an accelerated degree program at MakeSchool in San Francisco. I ended up testing out of their prereqs and got in right at the deadline. I've had to move my life over to SF from Oakland to be closer to the school. Classes start pretty early and as an under-resourced individual, I couldn't really afford to be taking Bart twice a day, every day for the next 2 years. I've actually started a GoFundMe campaign to help cover the costs of living after managing to pay off the tuition and dorm expenses. I'm managing my medication and food costs by freelancing web design and IT work after classes. But, I think the opportunities I'll get from finishing this degree will be worth it. 4. What do you do for fun? Right now I've joined a D&D group with some other students at the school and they meet once a week. I used to play music for fun and I plan to get a violin when I actually have disposable income. I heard once that playing music is how some engineers think through tough or strange coding issues. 5. What are your favorite foods? My favorite food is currently the Salad Ramen from Shiba in Oakland. I generally love all Ramen, but this one is seasonal and I think the wait really makes me appreciate it more. 6. What are three places you enjoy visiting in the Bay Area and beyond? I love walking around Japan Town. It's a great place to do anything really, food, fun, friends, you name it. And maybe I'm lucky, but when I go it's never too crowded, so that's great. The pier by Jack London is another place I love. When I first got settled, like actually settled, I lived right near the pier. I would spend weekend nights on the pier with friends looking out over the water or at Yoshi's. Jack London is also home to my 3rd favorite place, aptly named Oakland's Secret. One night, a friend stumbled through the doors and discovered great music and fantastic people. I love local bands and a good surprise and this place was definitely a pleasant surprise. A beautiful hidden venue with a house party feeling. Everything feels familiar and new at the same time when you're in there.   7. Who are your top music artists? George Watsky, an Oakland native, is my top guy right now. His lyrics are poignant, political, and often pretty funny. And the trappy vibes in "Welcome to the Family" always lift my mood. Lizzo is a given, and I don't think that needs explaining. At this point you, stan Lizzo or you're irrelevant. And my number three is Jeremy Jordan because that man’s voice is magic, and I could listen to every soundtrack he's ever been on, non-stop. 8. Who do you follow on insta? I try my best on Instagram to only follow people I've physically met, that applies to celebrities as well.so not too many people but I do follow Shawn Wasabi and Monsune so there's a nice name-drop. 9. Where’d you grow up? What do you like about the Bay Area? I grew up in and around New Roads, Louisiana. A tiny little town with some very southern sentiments. I miss the food so much. Haven't found good soul food since I left. But I love that the Bay has so much variety. I can essentially eat from any corner of the globe and not leave the city. 10. What’s something you’d like to see change in Oakland? What do you want your contribution to that change to be? Honestly, I’d really like it if all the money that’s being poured into developing offices for companies and luxury condos and such go to housing programs and rehabilitation for the homeless and addicted people that are constantly being shuffled around. There’s not enough affordable housing and the cities essentially falling apart. In the past few years I’ve literally watched programs and buildings crumble while half-empty apartments keep popping up next to closing businesses and crumbling streets. My contribution to that change will be, or rather currently is, me actively helping the community. I volunteer at shelters whenever I can because as a formerly homeless youth, I know how understaffed those places can be. I help youth with their resumes and connect them to recruiters. I’m always actively advocating for hiring within the community, or giving chances to people who haven’t been afforded the same opportunities as others. I attend city council when discussions about letting big companies move in occur. I’m only one person but when I see a chance to help this community, I take it. I don’t WANT my contribution to be anything, because I know what my contributions are. I’ll continue encouraging people to buy local, invest in their community, and, as much as I can, I try to be a voice at these big companies that speaks out for the people that get pushed aside during corporate expansions. 11. What do you appreciate about today’s technology? I appreciate the convenience and integration. Your phone can connect to so many things it’s crazy and I love it. People always talk about how we’re always on our phones, but I don’t see the problem there. I have the whole of human knowledge and experience in my hand, next to a way to contact everyone I’ve ever met. 12. What type of technology do you wish you had, but hasn’t been invented yet? Full-Dive Virtual and Alternate reality tech is something I’m EXTREMELY interested in. To be fair we’re not even that far off. We’ve already developed ways to get input into a computer from the electrical signals we produce and we’ve gotten really close with some VR software. I mostly want it for the escapist fantasy of falling into another world, but it would be an amazing breakthrough for the medical field and many others as well. Could you imagine someone suffering from various degrees of paralysis getting to walk again, or a doctor and patient is able to fully dive into and deal with a patient's mental issues in a visual, fully represented space. Movies would change, the way we empathize with the experiences of others would come as close as it could to absolute empathy. The possibilities of Full-Dive technology are fascinating and endless! 13. What would be your dream job? What do you want to be when you grow up? I don’t think I have a way to pin that down. I’ve already gotten a few chances to do every “dream job” I’ve ever had. My dreams are always changing and so are the types of jobs that are available. I know that my dream job will always include tech in some way, and right now the closest I could come to picking a dream job would be as a researcher working on recreating and innovating a working mechanical replica of a human brain - thought processes and all. It sounds like science fiction, but all in all, humans are just supercomputers with mysterious and confusing function parameters.  Photography by Christine Cueto.
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 Matthew being our August feature.   1. What made you decide to join Hack the Hood (HtH)? When did you start with HtH? I found out about HtH back in 2014 while at UCLA while attending a hackathon hosted on campus. At that event, I met Bay Area organizations like UC Berkeley, Dropbox, among others, and one associate told me about a development program called “Hack the Hood.” I subscribed to the mailing list, despite being physically in LA, with the promise that should I ever move to the Bay, I would make every effort to be a part of the Hack the Hood program. Fast forward, 4 years later and wishes really come true. I was fortunate enough to join HtH because I believed in its mission to increase the representation of POC in the tech and corporate world. I didn’t get much coding or computer exposure while in school but I had the dreams and aspirations of being a part of the tech community. I then was selected and joined the Fall Tech Prep cohort in 2018. 2. What did you learn that was unexpected? Was there anything that surprised you about the program? Many things were new and unexpected. I loved the age diversity of the program and the many different goals of my cohort and the HtH staff too. It really helped put things into perspective for myself and somewhat acts as an informal mentorship program — tons of people always willing to help you out, and you willing to help others. 3. What has your journey post- Hack the Hood looked like? Since HtH I still see and interact with folks from my cohort and the staff who have become friends and awesome sources of support. I currently work at Capital One in SF as a Tech Product Manager and continue to make my way into more specialized areas within tech, which is an incredible feeling. 4. What do you do for fun? I’m fairly spontaneous for the most part, so I find enjoyment in many things and at random times. One of my passions is perfumery. In my free time, I am starting my fragrance company, making perfumes and colognes for all, and I aim to launch fully before the end of the year. It feels like a long time coming and I’m excited to have a startup of my own in an industry that could really use the diversification and youthfulness. 5. What are your favorite foods? I have no favorite dish, however, my absolute favorite foods are Thai, Indian, Italian, and Mexican. There have so much flavor and spice, you can’t help but love them all. 6. What are three places you enjoy visiting in the Bay Area and beyond? I love being around Lake Merritt here in Oakland, I really like Hayes Valley area in the city, and for a little bit farther out, I like a good break in Half Moon Bay area for views, beach, and peace. 7. Who are your top music artists? Favorite artist: Drake. Other artists I am a huge fan of include: Rihanna, Rico Nasty, Roy Woods, Nicki Minaj, Kali Uchis, Smino, Ari Lennox, Kacey Musgraves, Amy Winehouse, and honestly the list can go on and on.   8. Who do you follow on insta? I follow close friends, awesome strangers who piqued my interest, a few of my favorite artists, and a healthy dose of my favorite designers like Tom Ford, Dolce & Gabanna, and YSL. I have no “favorite” profile though. Feel free to follow my perfume line @matteoparfums - we'll be launching soon! 9. Where’d you grow up? What do you like about the Bay Area? I’m a true Southern (California) Gentleman. I was born and raised for many years in the OC, then moved to LA for a few years, finally settling in the Inland Empire (IE) in a city called Moreno Valley. I consider the IE “home.” What I love about the Bay Area that I don’t get back in the IE is great public transportation, manageable weather usually, and the wonderful variety of food options like Eritrean, Burmese, Peruvian, and more. 10. What’s something you’d like to see change in Oakland? What do you want your contribution to that change to be? I think Oakland has held its own during the giant tech transformation over the years. I know it’s undergoing gentrification and development, however, the essence (and the people) of Oakland are remaining steadfast and is vocal about unnecessary or harmful change. Which is beautiful to see. It definitely extends from the city’s strong social justice and equity history. I want to be sure that Oakland continues to be “The Town” and a hub for the people, by the people. I’m inspired and hopeful to give back to the city that adopted me (as I like to put it) and reinvest in our developmental programs and general beautification projects. A big stretch goal of mine is to create an accelerator and incubator space for non-tech companies right here in Oakland. Though I love tech I also understand that there are many other passions, fields of interest, and areas that can benefit from the right resources, funding, exposure, and scaling such as: food/culinary, art/design, agriculture, to name a few. 11. What do you appreciate about today’s technology? I appreciate the ways it has expanded knowledge and information. I appreciate how it has made the world feel a little less disconnected, when used strategically and properly. Many opportunities, bits of news, and general discussions have been brought to my attention only because of modern technology. 12. What type of technology do you wish you had, but hasn’t been invented yet? Because my mind is always on food, I would love to have an “instant food” machine to whip up anything I tell it to make. I’d also like an automatic way for clothes to clean, dry, and hang themselves. Lastly, teleportation would solve so many problems. 13. What would be your dream job? What do you want to be when you grow up? My dream job is what I’m currently pursuing: to be a famous, notable Perfumer with a very successful international company and brand. To be able to be a part of people’s lives and daily routine, be a part of people’s memories when they smell someone or something with one of my scents, would be an incredible feat. If I had to be like someone as I get older, I want to be like Tony Stark (my favorite Marvel comic character and superhero). Lovable. Intelligent. Humorous. Playboy. Wealthy. Philanthropist. Daring.  Photography by Christine Cueto.
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