A born and raised Brooklyn Boricua, I grew up with a passion for technology. I started coding on my own during MySpace days because I really wanted a custom layout for my page. It eventually became a side hustle for me, as I charged my peers to help build their own MySpace page layouts and eventually started freelancing as a web developer and designer. Little did I know at that time that I would start a career in technology and work for some really prestigious consultancies many years later.
Having grown up in the projects in Brooklyn with the majority of my community being Black and/or Latinx, when I started my career I did not see a lot of people who looked like me. I was often times the only woman on my teams, the only woman of color on my teams or the only person of color in general. Knowing jobs in the technology sector had a starting salary of more two times the household income combined of a Black and/or Latinx family, I know that there was a pathway for young people in the community I'm from to be able to participate meaningfully in these careers if given the opportunity to do so. In 2014, I teamed up with my bestie, Evin Robinson, to start a program that would bring in-demand technology skills to students in New York City. What started out as an experiment with 20 students six years ago, has now grown into America On Tech (AOT), a national organization with offices in New York and Los Angeles. AOT has reached more than 3,000 students, has raised more than $5MM and I currently serve as co-founder and Chief Executive Officer. AOT's work has been featured in media outlets such as Forbes, CNN, Black Enterprise, BET, The Skimm and the Huffington Post. I wear many hats, but I am mainly responsible for guiding our vision, fundraising and organizational strategy. |
Six years ago, when we started AOT, we spent countless hours in the library trying to figure out the ins and outs of nonprofits and social impact organizations. We opened and read a massive amount of books and Googled tons of articles only to find out that the education and training available for founders and leaders in the space were extremely low. A few weeks went by, tons of content was consumed and we still stared at each other blankly about how we were going to sustain our passions around young people and tech education. It’s these experiences that led me to co-found Social Good School (SGS) in 2019. SGS is an education and training company for the next generation of purpose driven leaders. We create digital products and virtual experiences that provide the social impact sector the tools and resources they need to be successful at making a difference. Further, I coach groups of small business entrepreneurs and start-up founders through 4.0 Schools in my own network.
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Amid all of the work I do with AOT and SGS, I am still a technologist by trade. I really enjoy building web and mobile products, especially ones that help build community online. My expertise is in web development and design, mobile development and design, user experience design and product management. I've worked with a wide array of clients - from small start-ups to large corporations in the development of their technology strategies. Further, I have worked with local government to inform policy around internet for all, computer science for all, broadband for all and workplace equity in the technology sector. I believe that the power of technology has the ability to make scalable change when leveraged purposefully and that access to spaces of innovation is a social justice issue,
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At the core of what I am is a creator. I like creating opportunities for others, building businesses, developing career development, technology and entrepreneurship curriculums and generally creating content for the online space on topics that I am frequently asked about. You can see that reflected in the things I have built, my social media channels and on this website --- where I have a whole bunch of free content for my tribe. Also, I love writing and have been doing it for some time. I write for myself and I write for others. You can see me frequently publishing on ForbesWoman, hosting Instagram Lives with Forbes The Culture and their #TechTuesdays segment and I plan to publish several books in the near future (2021)!
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AMERICA ON TECHAmerica On Tech (AOT) is a nonprofit organization on a mission to prepare the next generation of technology leaders.
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SOCIAL GOOD SCHOOLSocial Good School is an education and training company providing tools and resources for purpose-driven leaders.
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INNOVATORS AND DISRUPTORSInnovators and Disruptors is an annual awards show celebrating diverse leaders in the technology and innovation sector.
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