Code as a Second Language | 2017

In 2017, Code as a Second Language (CSL) reached 1,800 plus students, programmers and tech professionals in 25 cities with the partnership and support of our sponsors including General Motors, Verizon Foundation, IDB, AT&T, Adobe Foundation, Best Buy Foundation, Google, The U.S. Army, The Infosys Foundation and The Walt Disney Company.

“Computer science can help youth build the skills necessary for success in school, workforce and in life,” said Antonio Tijerino, President and CEO of HHF. “Beyond preparing Latino youth for jobs in the tech industry, which America desperately needs, we also want to promote creativity, innovative thinking, problem-solving, and how to work with others to solve issues.”

CSL is a national initiative that works toward introducing youth to computer science and making technical training and careers accessible to women and other minorities. CSL is committed to providing a technically skilled and diverse pool of talent to meet the demands of today’s growing technology companies. The model fosters a network of Latino software engineers and Latino leaders. Within the CSL initiative, there are CSL Bootcamps, Academies, Latinos on Fast Track (LOFT) Coder Summits and our most recently introduced, Ignite Youth Digital Marketing Fellowship.

HHF’s CSL Bootcamps are 4-6 hour programs that introduce students to computer programming and provide them with the skill sets to create their own websites/ mobile applications. The Bootcamps led by our CSL Fellows leave students inspired about careers in computer science and entrepreneurship. 810 students participated in our 14 CSL Bootcamps that took place in Austin, TX, Phoenix, AZ, Atlanta, GA, Washington, DC, Arlington, VA, Kensington, MD, Detroit, MI, Orosi, CA, Miami, FL and Los Angeles, CA.

During CSEdWeek this year, CSL hosted two CSL Bootcamps featuring Google’s newest CS First coding activity in Los Angeles and Miami. Celebrity guests, Actor Raul Castillo and TV host, Poncho de Anda, joined students at South East High School in Los Angeles and SLAM Middle School. Students were introduced to coding and were challenged to use their creativity and imagination to create their very own Google logos using CS First.

CSL Academies consist of an 8-10 week program that meets once a week for 1-1.5 hours designed to immerse students in the fundamentals of computer science and entrepreneurship, programming concepts and syntax. HHF was joined at our CSL Bootcamp in Maryland by Councilmember Nancy Navarro, District 4 Montgomery County, MD and Montgomery County School District Superintendent, Dr. Jack Smith. 525 students participated in our 21 CSL Academies in partnership with the Adobe Foundation, Best Buy Foundation and General Motors. CSL Academies took place in San Jose, CA, Oakland, CA, Concord, CA, Hayward, CA, Seattle, WA, Central Valley, CA, New York, NY, Salt Lake City, UT, Boston, MA, Minneapolis, MN, San Antonio, TX, Dallas, TX and Washington, DC.

The LOFT Coder Summit includes the development and mobilization of a network of Latino software engineers ready to introduce computer programming to students and tech professionals across the country. Adriana Martinez, Director of External Affairs CA at AT&T, Vishal Sikka, Former CEO of Infosys and Guillermo Diaz, CIO of Cisco Systems were also in attendance at our LCS’s. Our LCS’s hosted 490 participants at our 3 LCS’s in Rio Grande Valley, TX, Stanford, CA and Los Angeles, CA. 

HHF also launched the Ignite Digital Marketing Fellowship with Google in San Jose this year, with the leadership and support of Eliana Murillo, the Head of Multicultural Marketing at Google. More than 50 attendees and 20 Hispanic small businesses were on boarded by Google volunteers using the Primer app, which is designed to teach marketing skills in an efficient way.

Our CSL initiatives have truly impacted the students, teachers, fellows and our very own HHF staff. CSL is dedicated in connecting every person involved in our CSL initiatives access to the LOFT Network, to help them gain the skills, experience and build a personal network that will help them success in the workforce. Thank you to all of our sponsors for your dedicated commitment, leadership and support!