Cohort Stories: Meet Bevan
vol. 5, no. 14 — guest post by Bevan Chingono
Having spent my life growing up in four countries, I am very grateful for the opportunity to live various places. Although I did not view my constant movements as a blessing during my youthful years, I slowly began to notice that I was able to adapt to new environments more quickly, and my ability to communicate and relate to individuals was changing with each move. My experience of growing up in four countries combined with my heritage of being both Kenyan and Zimbabwean allowed me to expand my interactions and understanding of different backgrounds, which I feel has made me culturally diverse. I am very proud of the fact that when someone asks me where I’m from, I can say everywhere and mean it in many different ways. In my mind, this symbolizes the ability to not be confined to one image or perception and instead represents my individuality.
My interest in technology came along later in my life compared to my peers. I grew up being aware of rapid advancements in technology over the years and how technology was shaping new methods of operating and learning more efficiently. My knowledge of technology, however, was always at the bare minimum. Once I came to the US in 2015, I began to get more involved in developing my technical skill set; realizing that my understanding and knowledge of technology would be essential in being able to distinguish myself in the classroom and the workforce after graduation. I immersed myself in learning different applications and programming languages, whilst solidifying my working knowledge of technology, and I have only grown in the development of my technical skill set ever since I arrived in the US. I have the aspiration to continue this development of technical immersion with the hopes of discovering new career interests along the way.
I am most excited about being able to continue developing my knowledge and being able to meet individuals that are of similar and different backgrounds. I have always had the notion that knowledge is accrued from experience. And in interacting with people of different backgrounds and cultures, one may subsequently accrue knowledge from the experiences of others. Conversely, one may contribute to an individual’s knowledge through sharing their experiences.
I look forward to being able to establish meaningful connections that hopefully may be long lasting and being able to call myself a fellow of the Hack.Diversity program; which is committed to bringing about change within minority communities by educating and equipping minorities with the necessary skills to take the next step in technological roles.
Most of my technical skills have been self-developed and thus I am also excited about the prospect of being educated in a “classroom setting” so that any questions or troubles that I experience may be resolved as soon as they arise by individuals with professional experience in technical roles.
