Impact Stories: Isaacs
Computer Science prepares students to get the real skills they need to succeed.
Isaacs Anigboro, 17, is lucky. He became fascinated by technology while growing up in Asaba, Nigeria. Computer science classes there were limited, so he hoped to have more opportunity when he and his family emigrated to Indiana two years ago. Fortunately, they settled in Speedway High School’s district.
“I learned more about computers in one year here than I did in 10 years in Nigeria,” Isaacs said.
Speedway High School offers quite a few computer sciences classes, including at the Advanced Placement level, which gave Isaacs choices he wasn’t used to.
“In Nigeria, it’s difficult to want to do something with your heart and mind. They make you specialize too early in school. The way they put it to you, they kind of force everyone to do what they want you to do.”
Isaacs’ second stroke of luck occurred when one of his teachers told him about the Nextech Catapult internship program.
Catapult is an immersive computer science program that helps students develop skills (both hard and soft), relationships, workplace readiness and plans for college success while forging a lifelong connection to Indiana.
Some of the skills Isaacs most appreciated learning were the soft ones.
“A lot of us were nervous at first, but we quickly realized that computer science is mainly a group of people working together to accomplish a goal. We came together as a team from that,” Isaacs said. “I found it hard to work in groups before the program, but since Catapult, I am more open to doing it. Nextech showed me how to explain my ideas and put my thoughts on paper.”
Isaacs believes you, too, can help prepare students to get the skills they need. The result of your support, he said, will be a better future for all of us working in computer science.
“A lot of jobs are coming up in computers, and young people aren’t aware of the skills they need to succeed. If you invest in Nextech, you’ll be exposing people like me to the skills at an early age.”
Isaacs Anigboro, 17, is lucky. He became fascinated by technology while growing up in Asaba, Nigeria. Computer science classes there were limited, so he hoped to have more opportunity when he and his family emigrated to Indiana two years ago. Fortunately, they settled in Speedway High School’s district.
“I learned more about computers in one year here than I did in 10 years in Nigeria,” Isaacs said.
Speedway High School offers quite a few computer sciences classes, including at the Advanced Placement level, which gave Isaacs choices he wasn’t used to.
“In Nigeria, it’s difficult to want to do something with your heart and mind. They make you specialize too early in school. The way they put it to you, they kind of force everyone to do what they want you to do.”
Isaacs’ second stroke of luck occurred when one of his teachers told him about the Nextech Catapult internship program.
Catapult is an immersive computer science program that helps students develop skills (both hard and soft), relationships, workplace readiness and plans for college success while forging a lifelong connection to Indiana.
Some of the skills Isaacs most appreciated learning were the soft ones.
“A lot of us were nervous at first, but we quickly realized that computer science is mainly a group of people working together to accomplish a goal. We came together as a team from that,” Isaacs said. “I found it hard to work in groups before the program, but since Catapult, I am more open to doing it. Nextech showed me how to explain my ideas and put my thoughts on paper.”
Isaacs believes you, too, can help prepare students to get the skills they need. The result of your support, he said, will be a better future for all of us working in computer science.
“A lot of jobs are coming up in computers, and young people aren’t aware of the skills they need to succeed. If you invest in Nextech, you’ll be exposing people like me to the skills at an early age.”
