The people doing the work.
Not charity cases. Not feel-good stories. Determined people who want to do the work and move forward. We treat them like the capable adults they are, because that's what they are.
Cohort 4.
Denise
Goal: Obtain my bachelor’s degree
Baldo
Goal: Level up my computer skills, position at work, and my navigation skills to support others.
Jack
Goal: My goal is to learn how to use a cell phone and computer.
Paul
Goal: Obtain my bachelors in financial analysis.
Kevin LaMont Reed
Goal: My objective is to be tech savvy. Since being behind the wall, I became interested in coding & AI.
Alfredo Flores
Goal: All of the above, to be more successful in life.
Jorge Dominguez
Goal: Personally working on getting off probation, finishing my AA/T in Computer Science, finding a job in the tech industry.
Kyle Ramon Rivera
Goal: I am currently trying to get a welding certification and scuba certification so I can then get an underwater welding certification.
Xochitl Lacy
Goal: Earning my SUD Counselor certification while finishing my BA in Chicano Studies. I founded a nonprofit supporting incarcerated people through Indigenous Mexican traditions and healing, and I want to grow it into more facilities.
In their words.
“Firme Coding was my foundation. It opened doors I didn't even know existed and helped me step into a tech pathway.”
Cohort 1 Fellow
“I never felt judged for asking questions. The support from the instructors made it easier to keep going, even when I struggled.”
Cohort 2 Fellow
“I used to think tech wasn't for me. Now I see myself in this space and know I belong here.”
Cohort 3 Fellow