To help close the world’s widening education gap, I volunteered as a program manager on a project at Google called BreakBeatCode. BreakBeatCode utilizes Hip-Hop to develop coding skills and create personalized music tracks. By integrating two of my passions, music and coding, I have helped over 200 students (in grades 7 through 12) in five countries develop Python coding skills equivalent to those taught in an entry-level college programming course. While nontraditional software applications like BreakBeatCode do not solve all of the issues within education, they shed light on the limitless possibilities within the EdTech space. This piece was recently created during a 5-hour hackathon with students in Nigeria. I'd like to leverage my experience with breakbeatcode to create my own music-based learning application.

On my 4th birthday, I blew out the candle on top of a vanilla-frosted cupcake at the Women and Children's Shelter of North Carolina as my mother and three sisters cheered. Next to that cupcake was my only gift - a set of building blocks that my grandmother sent, which meant everything to me. Every day, I played with these blocks, hoping that I could somehow build my way out of our living situation. I was intrigued by how I could construct different objects from something as simple as a cube. I would spend countless hours fascinated by the iteration of colored patterns I could create. I would challenge the boundaries of physics by placing each block as close to the edge as possible, toppling the entire tower on many occasions. Through experimentation, I realized that a sound foundation was imperative for creating a solid structure. Ultimately, these blocks were the spark for my nascent dreams of becoming an engineer. These dreams remained unfulfilled until I arrived at Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School, where I was, for the first time, provided with access to technology-based education. Technological tools like computers, drafting software, and 3-D printers helped me further explore the possibilities of engineering and expanded my dreams. The contrast in educational resources from my early childhood to secondary education has made me intimately aware of the systemic disparities in K-12 education that result from a lack of educational tools and experienced educators in low-income communities. I am the living proof of the power of more evenly distributed access to education. Today, I employ the same drafting software that I was introduced to in high school to plan and design data centers globally for Google. As a Technical Program Manager, I make technical design decisions on behalf of the organization, construct and maintain over 450 sites globally, and connect small building blocks of data centers to connect the world via the internet. These building blocks form the foundation for a robust network that connects users to Google's services, whether using YouTube to watch cat videos or using Search to research a cure for cancer. I realize that the technology-based education afforded to me has led me to this point. My experiences have cultivated a passion for making education more accessible and approachable for students of all walks of life. To give others the building blocks necessary to close the world’s widening education and wealth gaps, I volunteered as a program manager on a project at Google called BreakBeatCode. BreakBeatCode utilizes Hip-Hop to develop coding skills and create personalized music tracks. By integrating two of my passions, music and coding, I have helped over 500 students (in grades 7 through 12) in five countries develop Python coding skills equivalent to those taught in an entry-level college programming course. While nontraditional software applications like BreakBeatCode do not solve all of the issues within education, they shed light on the limitless possibilities within the EdTech space. As an instructor, I realize that the lack of access to high-speed broadband internet will create the next digital divide. To prevent this, I want to leverage my entrepreneurial experience combined with my real-world experience to create education solutions that work with slow broadband internet.