Meet Hector, the Entrepreneur
“I came from the Dominican Republic when I was 8 years old. Having to adapt to the culture while learning the language from scratch was difficult, but my family would always tell me that education is the way to go.”
How did you get started with computer programming?
I did CodeNow during my junior year of high school and it was a great experience. I learned a lot and even kept programming afterwards. Eventually, I got an internship where I was able to blend coding with business.
Now that I am in college, I am hoping to major in finance and minor in computer science.
“Because we came from low income families ourselves, we were really motivated to continue with our work at the tutoring company”
You started a tutoring business while you were still in high school. How did you get started with that?
After my summer internship, two of my friends and I decided to build upon our tutoring experience. We made some fliers, came up with a business name — Kids Ivy Tutors, got incorporated, and we started booking tutoring lessons. Our tutoring services were very affordable so that set us apart from other companies.
Now, my partners and I go to different colleges so that makes things a bit harder but we are still able to get things done from our dorm rooms. Through what we do, we are able to help a lot of families that come from backgrounds similar to ours. Because we came from low income families ourselves, we were really motivated to continue our work at the tutoring company.
We hire tutors from local high schools and we are even hoping to expand into Manhattan this semester.
What keeps you motivated to continue with all your hard work?
I came from the Dominican Republic when I was 8 years old. Having to leave friends behind and adapt to a new culture while learning the language from scratch was difficult. My family would always tell me that education is the way to go. Knowing that a good education would help me succeed is what has kept me on track so far. It is about knowing what I have to do in order to get to the next step. So my family has been a big motivator, as well as myself. The desire to up my career makes me want to try harder.
How do you manage your time?
When it comes to time management, I like to break up big tasks into smaller tasks so that I don’t procrastinate. That has been a very important skill for me and I feel like college students should learn to do that because in college, you have so many projects yet you have no one to tell you how to prioritize.
“Always try your best and do your best. There’s always something out there for you.”
Do you have any advice that you would like to share?
Never give up and always keep trying. Although you might see a lot of adversity out there, you should always keep your head up and keep going because you never know what might come your way. I never thought that I would get into NYU but it came as a surprise. Always try your best and do your best. There’s always something out there for you.
Hector continues to successfully juggle his schoolwork and running a tutoring company, while also participating in pitch competitions for an app that he is passionately working to develop. Upon graduation, Hector hopes to be a founder, investor, and help others in need.
Liked our post?
CodeNow would not exist without individual contributions from people like you. Whether it’s $10, $100, or $1,000, every dollar helps a student get introduced to the world of technology.
