Each month, Code the Dream chooses to honor one volunteer who has made a contribution to our community. This month’s volunteer is Akosua Asante, who has been an assignment reviewer in our Intro to Programming and Node.js / Express classes since the fall of 2022.
Thank you, Akos, for your dedication to Code the Dream!
Tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Akos. I am a software developer at PagerDuty, where I have the opportunity to work on a full-stack team developing some of the product’s core Incident functionality. I’ve always loved technology and used to tinker with editing a Geocities page and hung out on message boards when I was younger. But I went to university to study life sciences and only made a last-minute pivot to software near the end of my program 
With the help of lots of online tutorials, classes, and also the guidance of colleagues who were already in the tech industry, I was able to get my first developer role a couple years after graduating; and I’ve loved it ever since!
Why did you get involved with Code the Dream?
Code the Dream ran a presentation for us at PagerDuty explaining the programs that they run. It was so exciting to hear stories from Code The Dream students and how it had helped them, which inspired me to volunteer.
What has been meaningful about your experience with Code the Dream?
Every time that I can help someone learn something new or figure out a problem they’ve been stuck on is always a bright spot in my day. I can remember struggling through the very same types of issues when I was first learning so getting to share that perspective with others is really fulfilling. And helping people who may be newer to the industry see how many different paths there are to success is also important to me.
Students shared about why they appreciate Akos:
“Akosua is a great mentor! She is available when needed is very detailed when explaining hard concepts!”
Raissa G., Intro to Programming Student
“Akos always gives me very detailed feedback, which for me is very important, and is ready to help me through every question I ever had.”
Intro to Programming Student