I am a software developer. For the past few weeks I have been saying that aloud to people, in awe of the fact that it’s true. The past 10 years of my professional life were dedicated to journalism, both traditional and digital, and media startups (see more about my career on LinkedIn here). Which is to say, I was working in tech, but not necessarily working to create it. And so, the fact that I’ve finally “arrived” at a destination I set my sights upon several years ago continues to be magical to me.… more

EveryoneOn is a non-profit organization that works to provide “high-speed, low-cost Internet service and computers, and free digital literacy courses accessible to all unconnected Americans.” We had the opportunity to chat with Regional Manager Norma Fernandez about EveryoneOn and their work. “The U.S. Census reports that 26.6% of households lack high-speed Internet service at home. This is not acceptable. Employment opportunities, educational resources, public services, and many more resources exist exclusively online and now more than ever it is imperative to help all communities get online and leverage the power of the Internet,” Fernandez stated.… more

Of the many, many things that I’ve learned during my time as a Sabio Fellow, the one that stands out the most to me is how learning to code has made me a better person. Diving into a system with new rules and expectations forced me to be a lot more patient and understanding with myself — and by extension, those around me. I’ve been an “overachiever” for as long as I remember; few things have been really “hard” for me to learn and grasp. But the type of frustration I’ve experienced learning to code can only compare with how overwhelmed and hopeless I felt in fourth grade when failing to understand how to multiply and divide fractions.… more

I just won my first hackathon on an all-woman team in Los Angeles at the TechWeekLA Hackathon. That was the crown jewel of my seventh week of coding with the Sabio developer program. I couldn’t be more ecstatic. The experience was so unique because we were on an all-woman team. Given that we were a handful of women working on a projet together, and that there were literally a handful of women on the rest of the teams, it felt pretty special. Our project, Two Birds, used Google Maps and Yelp to help you get as many errands done as you needed using the most efficient route possible.… more

The Internet is finally starting to make sense — and I couldn’t be more excited! I’m now four weeks into Sabio’s developer training program and I am happy to report that the gobbledygook that was once staring back at me from the computer screen is now starting to make a bit more sense. The computerspeak is finally starting to make a little bit of sense, which is exciting for me because I finally feel like I have a little bit of a base of knowledge on which to build more knowledge.… more

Girls Inc. of San Antonio is a non-profit with the aim to: “Inspire all girls to be strong, smart, and bold.” We spoke with Amber Marcil, Special Events & Communication Coordinator for the group about an upcoming series of Made With Code parties for San Antonio girls. Why code? Marcil told Más Wired that with coding girls can do anything. “She might go on to be a programmer, doctor, anthropologist, designer, president, pastry chef or anything in between,” Marcil said.… more

I’ve been dreaming in JavaScript for the past few weeks. Part of my training with Sabio includes “pre-work” by taking online classes in HTML, CSS and Javascript (you can take the classes yourself here). And just about the time when I wonder whether or not I’m getting it, I find myself putting my friends and errands into JavaScript functions in my dreams. Some of my friends have asked me about what coding is “like” so my impressions are as follows. HTML and CSS are cool because they are easy to learn, understand and see in action.… more

I’m going to become a web developer. Or learn to code, whichever euphemism you prefer, that’s what I’ll be doing as part of Sabio’s cohort from October to December. It’ll be an interesting experience, and as my dad pointed out, it’s always good to have access to more education. I’ll be documenting it here on Más Wired, so feel free to reach out with any questions or comments here on the site or even better on Twitter: @MasWired or @SaraChicaD. So, since I’ll be walking the walk, I wanted to share the reasons why I think it’s important for me to take this step.… more

By Hudson Baird, Executive Director of PelotonU Popular opinion suggests the overwhelming priority for Latinos is immigration reform. Yet a study from the Pew Research Center found immigration was the fourth most important issue, with education taking first place. In Texas this is especially important, where only 16% of Latinos hold a Bachelor’s degree and only 40% of hispanic students graduate from college in six years. Current two and four years schools are struggling to graduate minority students, and this makes new approaches to post-secondary completion especially relevant.… more

We’re so excited to be co-sponsoring another Latino entrepreneur meet and greet in San Antonio on June 30 at Geekdom. Our last event in Austin was exciting in that we met lots of folks from all sorts of backgrounds — everything from education to engineering to finance and media — and we’re hoping to continue to bring people together in San Antonio. We are so grateful to our sponsors, who are helping us with refreshments, space and promotion: Geekdom, Acción Texas, Café Commerce, Yapa Artisan Empanadas, Fwd.US, LATISM, Texans for Economic Progress, Mando Rayo Collective, Avinde, Más Wired & Puro Pinche.… more