Closing Out Q1: Jan — March 2024
Welcoming our most competitive Cohort and moving forward with strength
As Hack.Diversity closes out the first quarter of 2024, we’re taking a moment to reflect on our milestones and journey ahead.
This year, we proudly welcomed 100+ Fellows — our most competitive Cohort yet — along with 25+ Host Companies and a dedicated coalition of Mentors across Boston and New York City. With an emphasis on the power of community, we organized in-person orientations to welcome Fellows, Host Companies, and, for the first time ever, Mentors. Additionally, we hosted our first in-person Boston Pitch Day in over five years.
Amidst the national conversation around diversity and inclusion, Hack.Diversity remains at the forefront, moving forward with strength. At our recent Community Roundtable, we unveiled our updated mission to transform the economy by breaking down barriers and building access for the next generation in tech. The next generation represents the future: future leaders, future-changing demographics, and the future we’re co-building.
As we look back on the quarter, we’re energized by the progress we’ve made and the opportunities ahead.
Within our 2024 Cohort, 52% are trailblazers being the first in their family to attend college, 32% pursued community college and 29% have participated in a bootcamp on their journey to enter the tech industry. In addition, 73% will be securing their first internship in software engineering, data analytics, or mechanical engineering through Hack.Diversity!
As part of the curriculum, Fellows completed their Tech.Dive Projects, a technical group project designed to provide hands-on experience and interview preparation. The following Fellows were recognized by their peers for their contributions and embodiment of our values throughout the project scope:
Community: Benjamin Ortiz & Emily Flores
Advocacy: Isabelle Bessa & Brian Grier
Resiliency: Jason Morales & Philys Temea
Empathy: Kenya Cobbs & Amy Boateng
Most Valuable Hacker: Luis Jorge & Jose Diaz
Looking back at Q1, the Fellow Success Team’s top priorities were:
- Onboarding and launching the 2024 Cohort
- Strengthening the curriculum offerings with a focus on technical upskilling and interview preparation with sessions led by Bloomberg, Liberty Mutual, MongoDB, and MathWorks
- Maximizing retention among our Fellows by providing support with 1:1 meetings with Program Leads and strong mentor matches — 98% Fellows remain committed to our program, despite competing job/internship offers and other common reasons for attrition
Meanwhile, Hack.Alumni — now 500+ strong — have been busy leveling up their careers and paying it forward to the 2024 Cohort! We have 14 Alumni paying it forward as Mentors and 10 as Tech.Dive Leads.
Working with Fellows is only half of our model. We transform the tech industry by acting as a talent pipeline and an accountability partner for companies. Host Companies receive valuable feedback and programming, equipping them to invest in their talent pipeline, build inclusive leadership qualities, and create a culture of belonging.
Looking back at Q1, the REDI & Partner Success Team’s top priorities were:
- Onboarding and launching a new cycle with Host Companies, including hosting Hack’s first-ever hybrid Partner Orientation at Wayfair
- Kicking off and implementing the REDI Challenge, an opportunity for Host Companies to collaborate with Hack.Team to co-design solutions for challenges related to early-career investment within their organization
- Conducting our first Inclusive Management Summit of the year, with featured keynote speaker Frank Lamar, Privacy Engineer at Google and Hack.Community member, who spoke about trauma-based inclusive interviewing and considerations to support candidates
- Introducing our first Fellow<>Host Company touchpoint of the year: Pitch Day hosted by AWS in Boston and MongoDB in New York
- Supporting Host Companies through their first and second evaluation rounds of talent, including introducing a new and more equitable evaluation system and kicking off Fellow interviews
- Our 2023 Impact Report is live! Share our report on LinkedIn or use our toolkit.
- We’re proud to be a Techstars Startup Weekend Boston Community Partner! The three-day program takes place from April 26–28 and offers aspiring entrepreneurs the excitement and challenges of building a startup. As part of the Hack.Community, use the code HACKDIVERSITY to save 25% on your tickets.
- Will you be in New York City? Stop by and say hello at the TechDay Expo on May 10!
Break down barriers and build access with Hack!
- Host a Hack.Diversity Fellow. Connect with the Hack.Team to explore how to successfully welcome and retain a Fellow onto your teams.
- Consider making a donation to support our work. We extend our gratitude to the Google Tech Equity Impact Fund, MassCEC, Hambleton Lord, and Jason & Keely Krantz for their support this quarter.
Here’s to celebrating the close-out of the first quarter of 2024!
Since our quarterly report can’t encompass EVERYTHING we’re doing at Hack — stay tuned to our social media for notable day-to-day updates, events, and community-led recommendations.
Engage with us on LinkedIn, Instagram, our website — and support our work!
