Janvi grew up in India and moved to America several years ago. When she moved to the United States, she struggled with English, academics and adjusting to living in an entirely different culture. “I didn’t let any factors stop me though,” shared Janvi. In fact, Janvi adopted a perspective that recognized her own privilege and how others were facing their own, oftentimes invisible, challenges. This is what has made her such a compassionate and dedicated Code2College student.
A rising Junior at Hendrickson High School, Janvi heard about the program roughly 2 years ago when Executive Director, Matt Stephenson, visited Hendrickson to promote the program to the class. “The day I had heard about this program, it caught my attention immediately.” Janvi continued, “Applying to Code2College has been one of the greatest decisions I ever made. I had an amazing experience with great mentors who were willing to go all out to help me succeed.”
During the program year, Code2College corporate partners hold Saturday workshops to improve the professional development skills of students. These workshops prepare students for a range of professional experiences including interviews, team communication, relationship building and navigating the workplace.
Janvi’s favorite Saturday workshop was hosted by Dell last Spring. “This workshop prepared me for interviews through a series of mock group and individual interviews,” explained Janvi. “It was great experiencing this because it taught me how to conduct myself in a professional manner and make a solid impression on hiring managers.”
The skills Janvi learned in this workshop were put to use when she received a summer internship interview invitation with one of Code2College’s internship host partners: Cloudera. “Because of the skills I had learned through Code2College, I felt that I could be my true self and be confident,” shared Janvi. “What I really learned from this experience was that the interviewer wants you to succeed.” Following the interview, Cloudera offered Janvi an internship for Summer 2019!
One thing Janvi has most enjoyed during her internship is experiencing a world outside of school. “I have begun to experience what the professional world is like, which will prepare me for the future in many ways.” Janvi can’t wait to use her education and career to create a positive impact in the world.
“Code2College is extremely significant for the Austin Tech Landscape because it helps students step out of their comfort zone and experience the world beyond school and college,” shared Janvi. “This program teaches an abundance of valuable skills such as collaboration, work ethic, and how to behave in a professional manner, which will provide tech companies in Austin with a valuable, diverse workforce.”
Janvi plans to give back to the community by motivating people to try their best even if hardships occur. “I have faced a lot of hardships that once tore me down. However, I grew from it and I want to do the same to others by encouraging them to never give up.”
Janvi hopes to attend the University of Texas at Austin and major in Electrical and Computer Engineering. She recommends that anyone who is interested in Code2College to check out the website or reach out to her. “This way the person who is interested can truly know what Code2College is and how great of an impact it has had on me and others.”