Pritzker Tech Talent Labs

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.

> Cognizant
Full Stack Developer Apprenticeship Program

Melissa Chaca, 25, Chicago

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.”

Training to be a full stack developer

1
Three-month pre-apprenticeship course in web fundamentals.
2
The apprentices are onboarded and then begin three months of intensive, accelerated full-time training where they learn the foundations of full stack development.
3
Finally, the apprentices are embedded in a diverse, experienced, agile team to define requirements and develop end-to-end solutions. They pair with other, more experienced employees.

“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.”

Jorge Morin, 23, Chicago

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.”

> Discover Computing

Building Coding Skill Starting in Ninth Grade

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.

“I’ve long had an interest in computer science, but I never had the tools or resources to do much with it until I learned about this program. It’s definitely a commitment. You’re giving up your Saturdays to be there. And it’s rigorous, but it’s fun. You’re surrounded by people who have a shared interest in the same thing.”
– Devi Tellis completed Discover Computing as well as the mobile app development course of the Digital Scholars program. Although quiet, Devi managed to show up in a big way — she was chosen as the outstanding student for her class. Devi will be a 10th grader at Gwendolyn Brooks College Preparatory Academy, in Chicago, this fall.

> Digital Scholars

Introducing high school and college students to Chicago tech

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.

“I had no idea how great the tech industry in Chicago was until we had all of these talks with people in the tech ecosystem. I realized the tech industry aligned with my interests in the environment, and now I’m more interested in exploring the computer science side of civil engineering.”

-Chenille

 

> Teaching Endorsements in Computer Science

Getting More Teachers Trained to teach CS (and More Kids Learning it)

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.”

“Most of the other offerings I’d found were in person, required a huge time commitment, or were really expensive. When I heard about this endorsement, it suddenly seemed doable.”
-Todd McFarlin, a former computer science teacher for Chicago Public Schools, who now serves as assistant director of teacher training for DPI and is enrolled in the CSTed program.

> DPI Research Scholars

Giving College Students Real-World Challenges During COVID-19

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.”

-Devyani Gauri, an artificial intelligence major at Illinois Tech.

Selection of student projects

AI for construction

Students worked on a system to apply AI to images and videos from 360-degree cameras, smartphones, and drones to track construction projects for risk and delays.

AI for musicians

Students helped research how to use deep neural networks to transcribe music digitally and grow the technology to all types of instruments.

VR for lung-cancer patients

Students worked on developing VR software to help the emotional well-being of lung cancer patients.

ML to fight misinformation

Students helped develop machine learning and natural language process programming to help identify social media misinformation.

AI for doctors

Students helped build out a technology platform that brings together a range of unrelated data sources and uses AI and machine learning to help doctors make better decisions.

Data visualization to help climate change

Students created data visualizations to assist cities in making climate plans.

AI for musicians

Students helped research how to use deep neural networks to transcribe music digitally and grow the technology to all types of instruments.

ML to fight misinformation

Students helped develop machine learning and natural language process programming to help identify social media misinformation.

Data visualization to help climate change

Students created data visualizations to assist cities in making climate plans.

Complete list of programs

To partner with DPI on these programs,
please contact Omowale Casselle at casselle@uilllinois.edu or Mark Harris at markh3@uillinois.edu.

High School

College

Career

Teacher Training