Rakia Wells, Author at Ada Developers Academy

2022 Organization Update

November 18, 2022

The recent economic slowdown in the tech industry has adversely impacted Ada Developers Academy’s ability to serve more students and expand to new campuses. Due to hiring freezes and layoffs happening for our corporate partners, we face the reality that we must slow our growth. We had to make the hard decisions to reduce the number of open student seats for 2023 and downsize our team. Additionally, we are pausing our Accelerate program for 2023 and slowing our expansion to…

Mothers Transitioning In Tech

November 10, 2022

Rakia Wells

Community

By Jenna Hanchard Ada Developers Academy supports a range of students across different intersections. Working parents don’t have it easy, and we know that working mothers and femmes are disproportionately impacted by childcare and household labor responsibilities. Ada’s program has supported birthing parents with childcare needs with free childcare at Ada’s headquarters in Seattle. We’re engaging working mothers in our Ada community and beyond about their experiences making a career change in tech while having children at home. We’re sharing their…

How The Tech Industry Is Uniquely Positioned To Solve Our Biggest Societal Challenges

October 4, 2022

Rakia Wells

Community

By Lauren Sato, CEO and Forbes Contributor When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, stripping millions of Americans of our fundamental right to critical health care, I was having breakfast with a group of female executives at a strategy retreat in the Pacific Northwest. We cried together as we processed the news and then quickly turned our sadness and rage toward the question, “What can we do about this?” Like many people impacted by this decision, our brainstorming ran…

Life After The Classroom

September 13, 2022

Rakia Wells

Uncategorized

Finding Your Fit In Tech Ada Developers Academy is an immersive and intentional coding school prioritizing community over competition. But what happens after the classroom? What does it mean to “work in tech,” and how can folks find positions that align with their interests? Trenisha Goslee is a self-taught web developer with a passion for STEM Education. She’s a Digital Instructor turned Program Director at Ada who came to Ada to merge her love for coding and education. She’s passionate…

She Used Tech to Design the Life She Always Wanted – Meet Bennett!

November 22, 2021

Rakia Wells

Uncategorized

Ada alum’s advice for a career in tech This Giving Tuesday, Adies share their journey to tech to inspire future coders to believe in themselves and get started! Bennett uncovers one of the best perks of a tech salary – finding time for yourself. Read more about Bennett’s experience in the tech industry and how she uses her skills to build the life she always wanted. Meet Bennett Currently at Slalom Consulting What motivated you to come to Ada and…

From Software Dev to Tech Support Engineer – Meet Emma!

November 12, 2021

Rakia Wells

Uncategorized

Adies share their journey to tech this Giving Tuesday season to inspire future Adies to believe in themselves and get started! Emma made the switch from Software Developer to Technical Support Engineer. Read more about Emma’s decision to stay in tech and how she made the industry work for her. Meet Emma Currently at GitHub What motivated you to come to Ada and pursue a role in tech? My path to Ada was the result of a number of things.…

Where Passion and Coding Combine – Meet Our Volunteers!

September 29, 2021

Rakia Wells

Uncategorized

The Ada Volunteer Community is made up of industry professionals, Ada Alums, and critical community members who bring their expertise to various roles that contribute directly to student success. Through the mantra “lift as they climb,” volunteers exude a passion for helping the next generation of tech leaders navigate the murky waters of code, team politics, and knowing “what’s what” when getting started. Many Adies can spend four to five hours outside of class understanding new concepts and finishing coursework.…

2021 State of the Union

September 10, 2021

Rakia Wells

Uncategorized

A Look Back Since the beginning of 2021, Ada has officially spun out and is building on the momentum of becoming an independent organization. Here is a state of the union covering the past 18 months and the next strategic direction of the organization. In March 2020, the education team flipped the entire program from an in-person learning model to fully digital. This team has continually adapted and adjusted to student feedback and has not lost a single student, even…

Ada Developers Academy is A Recipient of the $10 million from the Equality Can’t Wait Challenge

July 29, 2021

Rakia Wells

Uncategorized

Ada Developers Academy Unanimously Chosen As A Recipient of the $10 million from the Equality Can’t Wait Challenge Seattle tech startup poised for national expansion as a recipient of a $10 million grant to bring economic justice to the tech sector. Contact: Rakia Wells, press@adadevelopersacademy.org SEATTLE, WA — July 29, 2021 – Today, Ada Developers Academy, a cost-free coding school for women and gender expansive people, announces it was awarded $10 million through the Equality Can’t Wait Challenge, to expand…

Celebrating AAPI Heritage Month with Stories from Adies

May 28, 2021

Rakia Wells

Uncategorized

This AAPI Heritage Month, we celebrate the voices and journeys of current students and alums who worked their way through adversity to find their place in tech. These powerful women, trans, and nonbinary folks recount their biggest challenges and aspirations in the industry while giving thanks and gratitude to the folks that came before them. In Asian culture, Filipinos are kind of lower on the totem pole of Asians. We’re called third culture kids, “you are of Filipino descent, but…