In the program I learned how to use Python encryption code. My current employer said that when she saw my Python experience, she was very impressed, and this is why I have my current job.
— Joshua Campbell, UIC computer engineering major and graduate of DPI’s 2020 Digital Scholars program. He interned with Grant Thornton during the summer of 2022.
A year ago, Melissa Chaca was working as a patient care technician at a hospital, on a path to be a nurse. But she had the nagging feeling that a career in healthcare wasn’t for her.
Always interested in problem solving and puzzles, she was intrigued by the idea of a career in tech, but wasn’t sure how to pivot. Then, she learned about the Cognizant Full Stack Developer Apprenticeship Program.
“I immediately thought it was too good to be true,” she said. “I said, ‘I’ll try it.’ It was the best decision I’ve made.”
While the fast pace and new material were challenging, Chaca appreciated the program’s in-person learning format and the opportunity to connect with a diverse cohort.
“It was great to see people of all back- grounds doing this together,” she said. “People have all these different experiences — pharmacy, law, healthcare — but we are all on the same playing field.”
Growing up, Chaca said she never considered a career in tech.
“I’m first-generation,” she said. “My mom wanted me to be a lawyer or a doctor. Now, I want to show my community that there’s way more opportunity out there.”
“I use software every day. But to finally understand how it’s working in the background is really cool. I feel like a kid again learning all this.”
Seeing how software works is like unlocking the secrets of the universe, according to Jorge Morin.
“I never considered a career in tech because I was never exposed to tech,” the 23-year-old Chicago native said. “I didn’t learn how to use a computer until fifth grade. We used encyclopedias at school because they didn’t have computers.”
Instead, Morin studied engineering and architecture in college, ultimately special- izing in fire protection and plumbing design. But he was curious about coding, and started learning it on the side. Then he learned about the Cognizant Full Stack Developer Apprenticeship Program.
“I love engineering, but I also love learning and trying new things,” he said.
Since starting the program, Morin feels like he’s learned another language.
“I use software everyday,” he said. “But to finally understand how it’s working in the background is really cool. I was plateauing in engineering, but I feel like a kid again learning all this.”
Computing-related jobs make up more than half of all STEM jobs in Illinois, but Black and Latinx workers make up just a tiny fraction of this workforce.
Enter DPI’s Discover Computing program, designed to build a deeper and more diverse computing pipeline for the state of Illinois.
“Our aim is to address the disparities that exist for under-represented groups in computer science and tech to provide more exposure and learning opportunities within these dynamic fields,” said Gina Grant, associate director of K-9 student programming at DPI.
“This program is just the beginning of a larger goal to make Chicago the most inclusive tech workforce.”
Discover Computing launched its first cohort in fall 2021 in partnership with Wilbur Wright College and with support from Google Chicago.
Ninth and 10th graders explored computing concepts and tools, including HTML/CSS, data analysis, Python, machine learning, and p5.js.
When we first met Chenille Lawrence, she was a 17-year-old senior at Perspectives/IIT Math & Science Academy. She had moved to Chicago from Jamaica a year earlier.
Today the 2020 Digital Scholars alumna is a junior majoring in computer science at UIC. She recently interned with Morningstar.
Lawrence’s story shows the power of the Digital Scholars program. DPI partnered with the UIC CHANCE program in 2020 with the goal of building a deeper and more diverse pool of home-grown students pursuing computer science degrees.
It can offer students a lifelong connection to DPI and a pathway to tech, said Kay Monelle, associate director of high school programs.
“It offers them the ability to become mentors to students who look like them, from similar communities,” Monelle said. “All of this allows them to be a change agent for their culture, their community, and beyond.”
Lawrence returned to Digital Scholars in 2021 as a program coordinator helping a new cohort of students. She assisted with student engagement and classroom management. As a peer, Lawrence was also able to share her personal experiences with students.
-Chenille
If Illinois wants to recession-proof its economy, tech jobs, particularly those in computing, are a sound bet. In the last recession, computing and mathematics barely took a hit — the industry lost just 1% of its employment in 2009 and fully regained momentum the following year when jobs in the sector surpassed 2008 levels.
That’s why DPI partnered with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to launch a Teaching Endorsement in Computer Science (CSTed) to prepare more teachers to instruct on the subject.
The program’s first cohort of 22 teachers started in June 2021. CSTed aims to endorse hundreds of teachers in computer science over the next five to 10 years, and support hundreds more through ongoing professional learning activities so that every Illinois high school is equipped with a qualified CS teacher.
“Computing-related jobs make up roughly half of all STEM jobs in Illinois, but the vast majority of computer science teachers in the state haven’t taken a university-level course,” said Charity Freeman, associate director of teacher training for DPI’s Community Education Unit of the Pritzker Tech Talent Labs. “With this endorsement program, we are building the capacity for more schools across Illinois to effectively teach CS and inspire the next generation of innovators.”
Despite the design and engineering sophistication required to build a tall building, the construction industry still struggles to get projects done on time. That’s because humans, not computers, do most of the manual labor, and people are prone to inefficiency.
Artificial intelligence can help.
Under the guidance of UIUC Associate Professor Mani Golparvar-Fard, a talented team of five undergraduate students from three DPI partners created a complex data set of building materials, such as wood and tile. The data set will be used in a startup’s AI model so that its software automatically identifies delays and progress as buildings go up.
The students were part of the first group of DPI Research Scholars, a program placing junior and senior engineering, computer science, data science, or data analytics students from UIC, UIUC, and Illinois Tech into small groups to work on specific tech projects identified by DPI science teams.
“The biggest part of our project was to automate some of the progress-tracking — making sure that whatever is happening on a construction site is actually on schedule, and if it’s not on schedule, we wanted to track how behind it was.”
To partner with DPI on these programs,
please contact Omowale Casselle at casselle@uilllinois.edu or Mark Harris at markh3@uillinois.edu.
Discover Computing: Two-part series with Wright College and Google Chicago to help ninth and 10th graders build interest and awareness in pursuing computer science and tech careers.
Digital Scholars: With UIC CHANCE and UIUC, an intensive five-week-long summer program for high school students, and incoming UIC freshmen to take computer science courses for credit, as well as courses in data science, mobile app development, and electrical and computer engineering.
Digital Bridge: Summer program for Wilbur Wright and other City Colleges students in its Engineering Bridge/Pathways program, in partnership with World Business Chicago’s ThinkChicago program. Students get exposed to Chicago companies in growing industries.
Computer Science College Fair: Launched for the first time in 2021 at DPI, the fair will be an annual event for high school students interested in majoring in computer science in Illinois.
City Scholars: Run by Grainger College of Engineering at UIUC, City Scholars places top University of Illinois computer science and computer engineering students in semester-long internships with tech companies that are based in Chicago. Over the past four years, DPI has hosted hundreds of UIUC students in Chicago working 20 hours each week during the fall or spring while also taking a full load of classes.
Research Scholars: Launched in spring 2021 with DPI’s science teams, Illinois Tech, UIUC, and UIC, the program brings together teams of students to work on meaningful applied computational projects under the guidance of leading researchers.
DPI Tech Interns: Teams of undergraduate students work on real-world tech problems (website development, data analytics, and software test automation) in partnership with leading employers. Businesses supply the problems.
Inclusive Tech Fellows: High-quality three- to six-month flexible (part-time or full-time) training program specifically designed for Black, Latinx, and female participants to learn software development, cybersecurity, and data analytics. For adult learners.
DPI Software Development Apprenticeship Program: Combination of class instruction and on-the-job training that will take participants from zero to a tech job in one year. Will ensure that Black, Latinx, and women participants will have the training they need to secure high-quality roles with leading employers. For adult learners.
Cognizant Full Stack Developer Apprenticeship Program: In partnership with City Colleges, and Cognizant Academy, a one-year apprenticeship program to address Cognizant’s demand for software development talent. For adult learners with an AA/ AS degree or higher.
TechReady: A website that promotes upskilling and reskilling training programs. It will soon provide assessments and career direction for those who are interested in breaking into tech. For anyone.
Inclusive Tech Fellows: High-quality three- to six-month flexible (part-time or full-time) training program specifically designed for Black, Latinx, and female participants to learn software development, cybersecurity, and data analytics. For adult learners.
Research Scholars: Launched in spring 2021 with DPI’s science teams, Illinois Tech, UIUC, and UIC, the program brings together teams of students to work on meaningful applied computational projects under the guidance of leading researchers.
