Impact Stories: Jhosua

Why a 17-year-old believes everyone needs computer science

Jhosua

About 2,500 miles from his birthplace in Guatemala, 17-year-old Jhosua Oajaca has arrived at a firm conclusion:

“Computer science classes should be required for everyone, even if they don’t like computers. As we move into a more technological time, knowing how to use a computer properly and what makes it work is something everyone should learn.”

Unfortunately, barely over half (51%) of Indiana high schools offer computer science classes. Jhosua got lucky with a high school that does offer them – but technology and computer science aren’t things a boy from the fourth-poorest country in North America takes for granted1.

“Technology is a luxury in Guatemala. Having a cell phone there is like having an expensive car here. Same with a computer,” Jhosua said. He was in grade school when his uncle shared a rare possession: a 15-year-old computer. He got hooked almost from the first day his uncle let him use it for his homework. “That’s why it’s one of the things that interests me the most now.”

Access to Tech Education
Guatemala wasn’t the safest place to raise a family, give children a good education or find steady work. Jhosua said his family had a hard time in the year or so before they emigrated.

“There were a lot of jobs and opportunities here. It was a tough time at first, getting used to a new culture, new places, new people, a new language. We didn’t really speak English; we just knew some nouns and verbs. But we got used to it.”

A friend of Jhosua’s mother invited the family to live with her in Indiana. They arrived on October 13, just days after Jhosua had finished fifth grade. He started sixth grade in the Indianapolis Public School system the very next day.

He’s never looked back.

He took a computer science course as soon as he could – which, in his case, meant as a high school freshman. He took two more computer science classes as a sophomore, and that’s when he heard about becoming a Nextech Catapult.

He immediately sought to apply. Then COVID hit, forcing him to wait a year.

He didn’t mind so much. In fact, he said, “I enjoyed school during COVID. Having more time at home, you can manage more things: schoolwork, you’ve got calls to make, stuff to do on your own. From a learning perspective, I thought I learned well virtually. I paid attention 90% of the time,” he laughed. “It was a lot like being in Guatemala. People don’t leave to get away from their parents. Everybody stays around the house.”

Jhosua standing at a podium“Even so, he was ready for the next Catapult cohort – though it came when he and his family were moving to a new house in a new school district (Pike Township). A self-described “kind of shy person,” Jhosua had to meet new people at school, in the neighborhood and during Catapult – though, in the latter, getting comfortable with the other students turned out to be easier than he expected.

“At first, you’re in this room with random people and thinking, ‘OK, how is this going to work out?’ I had some misgivings. But the program is about more than computers. It’s more like you are in something with people who all want to do the same thing. We’re all in this together,” he said. “I really liked spending time with them.”

Career Planning Based on Firsthand Information
In high school, we all wonder how some of our classes and experiences will help us later in life. Jhosua doesn’t hesitate when asked if computer science was like that for him.

“When you’re going into high school, they want you to pick a major and decide what you want to do right then. There was a lot of pressure at my other school to do that. I knew I wanted to do something related to computers but didn’t know what,” he said. “Computer science classes and being a Catapult helped me know what I want to do in my life. With Catapult, I saw a lot of fields and branches I can go into. That helped me visualize them and decide what I might be most interested in.”

Jhosua will graduate from high school in May 2022. As of this writing, he’s been accepted to two colleges and applied to several others across the country.

“I want to study computer science in college – maybe software development or web design.”

No matter what specialty he chooses, Jhosua is certain he has learned skills from computer science classes and Catapult that can help anyone excel in any job.

“Maybe in your field you have to work with people and be able to talk to them. Maybe you need to know what’s going on around the computer or any other technology. Another skill you learn is something you can use everywhere in life: how to research or try to problem-solve something, try to look at different ways to make it work. That’s why I think everyone should take computer science.”1

Jhosua

About 2,500 miles from his birthplace in Guatemala, 17-year-old Jhosua Oajaca has arrived at a firm conclusion:

“Computer science classes should be required for everyone, even if they don’t like computers. As we move into a more technological time, knowing how to use a computer properly and what makes it work is something everyone should learn.”

Unfortunately, barely over half (51%) of Indiana high schools offer computer science classes. Jhosua got lucky with a high school that does offer them – but technology and computer science aren’t things a boy from the fourth-poorest country in North America takes for granted1.

“Technology is a luxury in Guatemala. Having a cell phone there is like having an expensive car here. Same with a computer,” Jhosua said. He was in grade school when his uncle shared a rare possession: a 15-year-old computer. He got hooked almost from the first day his uncle let him use it for his homework. “That’s why it’s one of the things that interests me the most now.”

Access to Tech Education
Guatemala wasn’t the safest place to raise a family, give children a good education or find steady work. Jhosua said his family had a hard time in the year or so before they emigrated.

“There were a lot of jobs and opportunities here. It was a tough time at first, getting used to a new culture, new places, new people, a new language. We didn’t really speak English; we just knew some nouns and verbs. But we got used to it.”

A friend of Jhosua’s mother invited the family to live with her in Indiana. They arrived on October 13, just days after Jhosua had finished fifth grade. He started sixth grade in the Indianapolis Public School system the very next day.

He’s never looked back.

He took a computer science course as soon as he could – which, in his case, meant as a high school freshman. He took two more computer science classes as a sophomore, and that’s when he heard about becoming a Nextech Catapult.

He immediately sought to apply. Then COVID hit, forcing him to wait a year.

He didn’t mind so much. In fact, he said, “I enjoyed school during COVID. Having more time at home, you can manage more things: schoolwork, you’ve got calls to make, stuff to do on your own. From a learning perspective, I thought I learned well virtually. I paid attention 90% of the time,” he laughed. “It was a lot like being in Guatemala. People don’t leave to get away from their parents. Everybody stays around the house.”

Jhosua standing at a podium

Even so, he was ready for the next Catapult cohort – though it came when he and his family were moving to a new house in a new school district (Pike Township). A self-described “kind of shy person,” Jhosua had to meet new people at school, in the neighborhood and during Catapult – though, in the latter, getting comfortable with the other students turned out to be easier than he expected.

“At first, you’re in this room with random people and thinking, ‘OK, how is this going to work out?’ I had some misgivings. But the program is about more than computers. It’s more like you are in something with people who all want to do the same thing. We’re all in this together,” he said. “I really liked spending time with them.”

Career Planning Based on Firsthand Information
In high school, we all wonder how some of our classes and experiences will help us later in life. Jhosua doesn’t hesitate when asked if computer science was like that for him.

“When you’re going into high school, they want you to pick a major and decide what you want to do right then. There was a lot of pressure at my other school to do that. I knew I wanted to do something related to computers but didn’t know what,” he said. “Computer science classes and being a Catapult helped me know what I want to do in my life. With Catapult, I saw a lot of fields and branches I can go into. That helped me visualize them and decide what I might be most interested in.”

Jhosua will graduate from high school in May 2022. As of this writing, he’s been accepted to two colleges and applied to several others across the country.

“I want to study computer science in college – maybe software development or web design.”

No matter what specialty he chooses, Jhosua is certain he has learned skills from computer science classes and Catapult that can help anyone excel in any job.

“Maybe in your field you have to work with people and be able to talk to them. Maybe you need to know what’s going on around the computer or any other technology. Another skill you learn is something you can use everywhere in life: how to research or try to problem-solve something, try to look at different ways to make it work. That’s why I think everyone should take computer science.”1

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