By Kendell Byrd (@flylikeabyrd22) Two years ago, when I entered college, I thought I might like to study abroad. Throughout my life I have found that I am happiest when I am interacting with others. Upperclassmen had spoken so fondly of their time abroad, characterizing it as a highlight of their college experience. So the idea of learning about, collaborating with, and immersing myself in, a different culture with other college students truly excited me. During my sophomore year when I began to research study abroad opportunities, I found
My name is Aklil, a POCIT and associate on the Corporate Development & Strategy team at a tech company in Silicon Valley. I’m very lucky to be on a small team that supports senior executives on mergers and acquisitions (M&A) initiatives, from product strategy inception to company landscaping, deal execution, and post-acquisition integration; the other half of my job is helping advise senior executives on strategic initiatives. I was previously an investment banking analyst at a bulge bracket investment bank, where I helped advise private and public companies on a
What made you decide to work in tech? After several years of working as a structural engineer, I started to feel bored and unchallenged by the slow pace of construction projects. A project I might be working on would typically not finish for several years and most of my projects required the same types of calculations over and over. I wanted to work in an industry that was faster paced with more innovative technology and decided that that was the “tech” industry. What was an obstacle you faced and how did you overcome that obstacle?
COO: Messiah Jacobs & CEO: Savalas Colbert www.entercharge.com Tell us a bit about yourselves. Messiah: Yeah for sure. We have a start-up that we’ve been pushing forward for the last year called entercharge. entercharge’s focus is on creating additional services in the restaurant space. We created a hardware device that sits on top of tables and allows people to charge the battery in their cell phone. We’re also allowing people to do other things right from the table, such as paying for their bill or requesting additional services. This is something
Lead Mobile Developer at LegalShield http://forge42.com What made you decide to work in tech? I’ve always been drawn to programming, ever since I was 13. I remember I used to spend all my time reading as many programming books as I could to build my own games and simulations. This idea of being able to manipulate and create new experiences fascinated me. So I knew I would pursue some sort of engineering education. In high school, one of my teachers, Mr. Tom Guarino, always
by Aaron Russell (Check out his interview here) When I was kid, I remember my youth pastor sharing a verse with me that states “as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Each year, this verse resonates with me just a little bit more than the previous. I feel the weight of these words and have really begun to grasp their meaning as I reflect on my life experiences and those individuals who have edified and invested in me. I have found that there is a pattern that
In March, I got the opportunity to speak at Urban Prep Academy, a preparatory school for students of color in Chicago. I talked to the senior class about pursuing a degree in computer science and entering the technology field. After the talk, a handful of students came to ask me follow up questions. Additionally, after my presentation, a number of the students expressed an increased interest in majoring in computer science and engineering. Through my conversations with high school students, it became clear to me that one of the reasons
What made you decide to work in tech? I actually started off wanting to be a teacher but when I got into classrooms I realized that a lot of teachers’ hands were tied by the principals, and the principals’ hands were tied by the laws/government. Then I quickly found out that politicians were mostly influenced by money, business, and interest groups. I realized that the fastest way to affect change and make a lot of money was to persue the tech industry and figure out how to build products and
What made you decide to work in tech? The short answer is that it was a financial opportunity for me. When I first started, I really didn’t understand what a software engineer did or was. I was just happy to be graduating from college with a pretty decent salary offer. But tech/software development was a natural fit for my curious personality. The technical challenges of building software appealed to the problem solver in me. What was an obstacle you faced and how did you overcome that obstacle? As a software
What do you do in tech? I am currently the CEO and Founder of the marketing firm called MilliSense. My company focuses on helping startups’ reach product market fit and also getting initial users and traction to for mostly startups and tech-related companies. We help them grow regardless of whether they are at the initial stage or if they have been in business for 3-5 years. For me it’s about finding creative ways to not only grow my own company but to also grow and scale other companies. It’s kind of maddening if you think
