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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 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.
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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 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.
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 Emily being our June feature.   1. What made you decide to join Hack the Hood (HtH)? When did you start with HtH? I heard about Hack the Hood about two years ago at the Oakland Public Library when Danny was there doing outreach. I was looking for something to do in the summer, so I applied online to join the summer bootcamp. At that time, I didn’t exactly know what Hack the Hood was or what to expect, but I'm really glad that I went through with it because I grew a lot from being in the program. 2. What did you learn that was unexpected? Was there anything that surprised you about the program? I was excited to learn how to build websites, but I didn’t expect to learn interpersonal skills as well. Working with a small business helped me develop customer service and communication skills. I joined the bootcamp with a lot of people that I knew, so I was also surprised that I was able to make valuable connections and friendships that carried beyond the program. 3. What has your journey post- Hack the Hood looked like? After the Summer 2017 Bootcamp ended, I joined the Tech Prep Coding classes in the fall. That helped me to continue developing my coding skills. I was still pretty active with Hack the Hood and was able to attend F8, the Facebook Developers Conference, with them. After that, I was invited to join the team as a Tech Fellow for the Summer 2018 Bootcamp. That was really exciting because it was a way for me to give back to my community, meet the students and hear all of their inspiring stories. A month after Summer Bootcamp, I started my freshman year at UC Davis. I came in thinking I was going to be a computer science major, but I was pleasantly surprised when I took Chemistry. Now, I am thinking of going into Data Science in the chemistry field and to combine both of my passions. I have since interned at 2 UC Davis organizations: Student Health and Wellness and Sustainability. 4. What do you do for fun? I enjoy watching new dramas on Netflix and looking for new books to read. I love going to the movies and supporting the local theaters in Oakland like Parkside Theatre and Grand Lake Theatre. 5. What are your favorite foods? That’s easy for me. I love poke. And boba. 6. What are three places you enjoy visiting in the Bay Area and beyond? I enjoy Lake Merritt. I used to walk past it all the time in high school, and it was nice because it gave me time to think and just enjoy the view every day. Oakland’s Chinatown will always be close to my heart because it’s where I grew up. It’s definitely changing though with gentrification.   7. Who are your top music artists? I listen to various types of music, but my top artists have to be Adele and Coldplay. 8. Who do you follow on insta? I’ve been trying to lessen my social media usage, so I don’t have the app on my phone anymore, but I still go through Instagram when I’m on my personal computer. I follow Asian American comedians, like Ali Wong. Growing up, I never experienced watching that many Asians in entertainment so I’m glad to them emerging. Aside from that, I enjoy following food channels like Tastemade and Buzzfeed Tasty. 9. Where’d you grow up? What do you like about the Bay Area? I grew up in Oakland and I stayed in the Bay Area basically my entire life. I love the Bay Area’s diversity and the variety of different cultures and food. The Bay Area is so different than Davis and I love that in the Bay Area, there is so much going on and different events where everyone can participate in. 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 want to see people in Oakland with more opportunities. I wish there were more programs helping the homeless and lower socioeconomic communities with programs to help them build businesses and teach technical skills. I want to contribute to that change by teaching the youth these skills earlier and to help them prepare for the future. 11. What do you appreciate about today’s technology? I appreciate the ease of being connected to anything these days. Everyone can be connected almost instantly to information, directions, and people. 12. What type of technology do you wish you had, but hasn’t been invented yet? One technology I wish I had was a portable health scanner, like Bay Max. A machine which can run blood tests or perform typical doctor duties which doesn’t require you to go in for a check-up. I think this tool would be great not only for the ease of home health care but for communities where there is a shortage of health care professionals and in a clinic, a machine like this can help the community thrive. 13. What would be your dream job? What do you want to be when you grow up? My dream job would be a data analyst. I want to be somewhere in the STEM field when I grow up, combining my favorite subjects, chemistry and computer science. I want to be in a position where I can give back to the community and help youth who are looking to get into this field.  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 James being our May feature.   1. What made you decide to join Hack the Hood (HtH)? When did you start with HtH? I'm a big fan of computer science, tech, and coding, and I've always wanted to find some sort of bootcamp for it. Towards the end of my junior year, I started to look for something I can do over the summer. I decided to go online and search for different bootcamps in the Bay Area, Oakland in particular. I found a couple, a lot of them are super expensive or too far or too inaccessible for me. So I stopped my research for a couple of weeks and then I got this email from our college advisor, informing us about a program called Hack the Hood. I remember when I saw that email, I lit up a little bit and I thought, “this is a really good opportunity. It's close to home and it's pretty much free. I feel like I could get a lot out of this.” I immediately forwarded that email to my dad and asked what he thought about it. He loved the idea. So I sent in my application. I didn't hear back for a couple of weeks, and decided to follow up because I was getting anxious. I really wanted this. Then I got a call from inviting me to interview, got accepted, and joined the Summer 2018 Bootcamp. 2. What did you learn that was unexpected? Was there anything that surprised you about the program? Originally I joined the summer bootcamp because I was expecting full on coding. But when I got there, I realized that it was much more than that. The explanation I got as to why Hack the Hood doesn’t just teach coding is that it's a little bit selfish to just focus on one topic, but rather teaches all the things that we could do with coding, what we can do career-wise, show us different businesses in the Bay Area - like Quantcast, Oath, and Eventbrite. I was really surprised at the fact that we were given those opportunities, not just sitting at your computer and typing code. One of my favorite lessons was about networking. I was able to apply it to the business trips we went to. I knew how to converse with the employees, ask questions, and connect with them on LinkedIn. That is actually a skill I use to this day. 3. What has your journey post- Hack the Hood looked like? After I left Hack the Hood, I was mainly focused on finishing my senior year. I took a step back from tech, but I did get into social justice and activism work. Hack the Hood actually inspired me because very base they’re centered around providing opportunities for under-resourced people of color, Oakland in particular. I liked the idea of giving back to the community, especially youth. So I joined the Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center. We were coached on public speaking, read texts by Martin Luther King or other leaders, and had the opportunity to got to the Capitol and lobby for legislations. We had the chance to meet multiple senators, work closely with Barbara Lee and Dolores Huerta to make change within our communities and just America in general. I saw it as a way to help my community by being on front lines and speaking out loud for people. I remember I got to visit the Coast Guard and give a speech on Black History Month and its importance to spread diversity. I also gave another speech at a black church. It's just the little things we do to make that change and inspire others to be more aware of different cultures and issues. Aside from that, I’ve been focusing on school, work, and helping out with our yearbook. I’m excited to announce that I'll be joining Howard University’s class of 2023 this fall, majoring in computer science. 4. What do you do for fun? Photography, that's my biggest thing; I love taking pictures. I'm still in my early stages and practicing. I recently received a camera from my aunt, so oftentimes, I just go take pictures of anything, from flowers to my dogs to random people on the street (with permission, of course). I would even go out at 1:00 AM, put my camera on the tripod, point it to the stars and experiment with the different setting. It's challenging, but it's also fun to see improvement with every picture. That's why I signed up for the yearbook so I can develop my photography. I also consider doing social justice and community work with the MLK Freedom Center as one of my hobbies as well. 5. What are your favorite foods? Burritos are on the top of my list. Whenever I’m heading to work, I go to the burrito shop that's right around the corner. I always get the California burrito because I love it to death; it has avocados and french fries on it. It's very American but I enjoy it. If it tastes good, it tastes good. I also love chocolate. Chocolate's my life. I’ve been getting into matcha too. 6. What are three places you enjoy visiting in the Bay Area and beyond? I personally like Lake Merritt because it’s so calming. Just walking around the lake can help you clear your head. Sometimes there's little events or people playing music. I enjoy seeing all the birds and people watching. It’s therapeutic. Another favorite spot in the Bay Area is my grandma's house. She lives in a really nice little neighborhood, right by UC Berkeley. It's a very comfortable place to go to. I love it there. Outside of the Bay Area, London was my favorite place to be. It's like the Bay Area, except everybody has a British accent. I was able to walk around and feel like home. London was also a lot more modern than I expected it to be. I always thought of it as a place filled with bricks and old architecture, but it looks kind of like SF or New York. 7. Who are your top music artists? When I think of my favorite artists, I always think of Kendrick Lamar. He's one of my all-time favorite rappers mainly because he touches on his experiences in Compton and black life in America and its issues in his songs. He does it in a very artistic way. There’ll be underlying messages in songs. You can listen to one song over and over and over, and you get something completely different out of it each time. Of course, another favorite is Beyonce. I recently watched her Homecoming documentary, and she’s amazing. You see the stress that she went through and you just don't think about that grind she puts into her work. You just think it's all just money and singing, but she shows it's way more than that. The messages she sends out are really powerful. I have no words.   8. Who do you follow on insta? Since the day I joined Instagram, until now, I had just been following my friends from school and just people that I knew very well. Lately, I’ve been expanding my network, including hundreds of Howard students because I want to be able to build connections with them as early as now. I also follow miscellaneous art, food, and photography accounts. I follow Black Twitter too. There is something unique about seeing posts from my people, about my people. Feel free to follow me on insta. 9. Where’d you grow up? What do you like about the Bay Area? I was born in Missouri and then I came to Oakland when I was two weeks old - so I was practically born and raised here. I grew up in the Diamond District of Fruitvale. I love Oakland because it's one big community with its own personality. My friends and I have this little joke that when we are very excited or angry, the Oakland in us will start coming out. Oakland has this culture that I feel very comfortable with. It’s so diverse. It's always changing, for better or worse. Each part of Oakland's different too. There's East Oakland, West Oakland, Downtown Oakland, the hills, and whatnot, and just having all that there creates this community. Yes, there’s crime in Oakland. It’s been known to be pretty dangerous, but it doesn't stop me from loving it. I still feel like it's home regardless of the downsides. 10. What’s something you’d like to see change in Oakland? What do you want your contribution to that change to be? For starters, we've got to fix those potholes ASAP because when I'm driving and I hit a pothole unexpectedly, I feel like a month has been taken away from my car’s lifespan. I would also love to see the parks in Oakland get cleaned up a little. They can be littered with trash pretty often. All it would take is some people in the communities to take time out of their days to pick up some trash - or just stop littering altogether.. My way of giving back to Oakland and making changes would be to communicate with different people, getting to know them, and inspire others to make changes on their own as well. The MLK Freedom Center is a perfect place for me to do that because it gives me the chance to get involved with the communities, like giving speeches. I feel the best way to inspire others to make change is to be a role model, especially to youth. Since I'm young, I want to show my peers that they can do their civic duty, even as a teenager. Our predecessors worked their butts off for us to be here and it would be a shame for us not to take advantage of that and keep the momentum going. Let's teach the next generation what are our ancestors left for us, how we plan to improve it, and how we’d want them to improve it as well. 11. What do you appreciate about today’s technology? I appreciate the accessibility and the number of things you can do with it. The world’s at your fingertips with the internet. I was born in a time when “Google” was already a verb and everyone has access to a computer at home. Compared to my parents’ time, people actually had to go to the library for research or they had to ask around for directions. Now, you can just pull out your phone and Google anything you want, or ask Siri questions. I love that convenience and how things are easier to accomplish. The downside is that it’s making people lazy. People my age want to have information as quickly and accessible as possible. When we open an article, the most a lot of us will read nowadays are bullet points - some will only go as far as the headline. Tech has given us the ability to get information quickly and easily, but it's also taken away our motivation to dig deeper into things. That’s something I worry about a little bit. I'm guilty of it myself, but I try to make a conscious effort to take the time to read the full story. 12. What type of technology do you wish you had, but hasn’t been invented yet? That's a hard one. The fact that we have so much technology right now, doesn’t give me room to desire for more. We already have virtual reality - which was still only a dream when I was much young. Now, you can go buy it at a store. All the tech that I can think of at this point that I'd want seems far out, almost sci-fi like. I’m a major Marvel fan, and I heard someone’s built an Iron Man type suit, where you can almost fly. That makes me really hopeful. I'm very satisfied with the tech we have now because I don't want to go too far with it. I would just feel like I'm going to end up being detached from everything. Oh. I actually have had an idea inspired by a Marvel show called Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. They have this device called an I.C.E.R. which puts people to sleep. There's a lot of issues with gun violence, especially with law enforcement. So why haven't we thought of an alternative weapon that doesn’t kill people right away? Watching the show makes me question, “why haven't we progressed with that kind of technology? We have built some incredible things, but can we have someone start working on stuff like that so we're not losing so many lives?” There's really no good reason to shoot or take a life. 13. What would be your dream job? What do you want to be when you grow up? My main goal is to be a web designer, but I am expecting something to change when I get to college. I’ve never had a set answer for that question because people had always instilled in me that there are so many things you can do out there and you're going to change your mind multiple times. In the event I follow through with web design, I would love to create a business to help small businesses with their websites, similarly to what Hack the Hood does. I don't know if it would be in Oakland or not, but it would be my way to give back to the community and inspire young people to build websites. For now, I wouldn’t want to make a set decision for my career until I’m further into my computer science degree.  |
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