This guest blog post was written by CTD volunteer Darga Darga. One of my favorite things about volunteering with Code the Dream is the high degree of flexibility they provide both their students and their volunteer mentors. When students are able to choose the specific interactions that they find most comfortable and effective, it also
Blog
Meet Andres Alcocer, CTD’s Volunteer of the Month!
This month, we are excited to celebrate our volunteer Andres Alcocer, a software engineer at insightsoftware. Andres is a by-appointment mentor and reviewer in our Intro to Programming class. In this role, Andres is assigned to work with a small group of students. Each week, he provides feedback on their code assignments and holds 1:1
CTD’s Tandem Apprenticeship model highlighted in webinar with partners Cisco and SAS
Code The Dream’s Co-Executive Directors Daisy Magnus-Aryitey and Dan Rearick, and CTD Labs Director Tom Rau discussed the Tandem Apprenticeship model with partners Cisco and SAS during a webinar on September 14th. The online panel, presented by NC TECH, highlighted the benefits of the innovative employment model. Panelists discussed their experiences working with Code the
Magnus-Aryitey participates in STEM education panel before Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
Code the Dream Co-Executive Director Daisy Magnus-Aryitey took part in a panel discussion on the importance of STEM education and “investments and recruitment of Black creatives through early education pipelines” in Washington, DC, on September 21. Magnus-Aryitey was invited to be a panelist by Congresswoman Valerie Foushee (D-NC) and the discussion was presented by the
Meet Hayley Witherell, CTD’s Volunteer of the Month!
Each month, Code the Dream celebrates one of our dedicated volunteers. This month, we are excited to celebrate Hayley Witherell, Software Engineer at IDBS. Hayley has been both a group instructor and a 1:1 mentor in our Intro to Programming classes, where they work closely with students as they progress through the course. Always ready
React Students Sharpen Their Skills in the “Hack CTD’s Style” Challenge
This guest blog post was written by CTD volunteer Elijah Smith. This past month, students in the Code The Dream’s React.js course were challenged to spend one week re-imagining Code the Dream’s homepage. Students were given a bare-bones HTML template with only the raw, un-styled content from the current version of CTD’s landing page. Over
Meet Jeff Loucks, CTD’s Volunteer of the Month!
Each month, Code the Dream acknowledges a volunteer who has made a unique impact on our community. This month, we are excited to celebrate Jeff Loucks, Frontend Developer at Tektronix. Jeff has been a mentor and assignment reviewer in CTD’s Intro and React classes throughout 2023. He helps students progress through our classes by providing
Cohort of CTD Apprentices receive SAS Fellowships
Code the Dream (CTD) and tech company SAS stepped up their longstanding collaboration in 2023, when SAS brought on a cohort of CTD apprentices to undergo training and mentoring and gain real-world work experience addressing coding problems, creating visual examples of user interface components, testing software, and checking design elements. SAS and Code the Dream first worked
Meet Pratik Daga, CTD’s Volunteer of the Month!
Every month, Code the Dream celebrates one remarkable volunteer who has made a significant contribution to our mission. This month, we are thrilled to recognize Pratik Daga for his commitment and leadership as he leads an Algorithms class for our apprentices. Pratik’s class meets weekly and builds on the skills that our apprentices are putting
From the Newsletter: DECODED Summer 2023
IMPACT AND OUTREACH Vamos Farmworkers are some of our nation’s most crucial — but also least protected — workers, and can be vulnerable to poor pay and abusive conditions. Agencies working to empower and organize workers for better conditions face challenges of their own: Just locating labor camps where workers live can be difficult and
From the Newsletter: DECODED Summer 2023
ALUMNI CORNER CTD Alumni Profile: Jasper Lin, Software Engineer at Biozyme Inc. Jasper Lin is originally from Taiwan and moved to the US in 2011. Before joining Code the Dream’s first online Ruby on Rails class in 2019, he was a grade school teacher and mentor to immigrant students. Starting over in a new career
Magnus-Aryitey featured in Durham Magazine’s Women’s Issue
Code the Dream Co-Executive Director Daisy Magnus-Aryitey was interviewed in — and featured on the cover of — Durham Magazine‘s annual Women’s Issue. Magnus-Aryitey discussed her unconventional path to a career in tech and the growing impact Code the Dream can have on the lives of students and apprentices. “When a student tells me they
Meet Daniel Sinn, Code the Dream’s Volunteer of the Month for June 2023!
Volunteers form a core part of our work at Code the Dream. Volunteers hold small group mentor sessions for our students, provide feedback on student code, host professional development workshops for students, and more. Each month, CTD celebrates a volunteer who has made a special impact on our community. This month, we’re recognizing Daniel Sinn,
Code the Dream Senior Developer Cruz Núñez Wins “NEXT TECH” Award
Code the Dream (CTD) Senior Developer Cruz Núñez accepted an award for “rising stars and tech innovators” at a June 12 ceremony held by non-profit professional organization NC TECH and Business North Carolina in Raleigh. Núñez was part of the inaugural class of NEXT TECH Award recipients. Núñez was selected for the award in recognition of
Meet Ekaterina Bondareva, CTD’s Volunteer of the Month for May 2023!
We’re excited to introduce May’s volunteer of the month, Ekaterina Bondareva! Kat is a unique CTD participant — she is both a volunteer and a student! Kat joined Code the Dream in May 2022 as a student in our Intro to Programming class, and has since completed a React.js advanced course and the Practicum. This
RECAP: Gender Diversity In Tech
Throughout March and April, Code The Dream (CTD) hosted Gender Diversity In Tech, a series on why gender diversity matters and how to promote it in your workplace. Three events anchored the series: Each event gave participants the opportunity to learn from CTD staff, mentors, and partners who offered their own experiences and expertise on
Meet Dan Polityka, CTD’s Volunteer of the Month for April 2023!
As a nonprofit tech organization, Code the Dream relies on software development volunteers to make our program a success. We are grateful to have dedicated volunteers who lead mentor sessions, assist with pair programming, review assignments, and much more. But some volunteers go above and beyond. We are excited to celebrate their contributions through our
Code the Dream Hosts Online Idea Exchange on Gender Diversity in Tech
Code the Dream hosted an online conversation on April 4, featuring an exchange of ideas about gender diversity in the tech field. The conversation, led by CTD co-Executive Director Daisy Magnus-Aryitey, included discussion about the economic impact of more inclusive tech industry, the importance of developing skills beyond the purely technical, and the importance of