Cohort Stories: Meet Brian G.
Boston: vol. 8, no. 11 — guest post by Brian Grier
In the process of becoming a Hack.Diversity Fellow, I had to overcome many obstacles. In school, I was usually one of the few people of color. Academically, this did not hinder me, but I always felt a little uncomfortable. Also, homelessness has been a struggle for me since my junior year of high school. I didn’t want to feel ashamed or less lucky than anyone else, so I kept it a secret from the majority of people; what I learned from it though is that being honest and proactive can benefit me in the long run. I told my closest buddy about my predicament, and I was very appreciative of his empathy and the fact that he shared his family had experienced something similar. He allowed me to stay in his house while he assisted me with my college application, which led to my acceptance to Bridgewater State University. I’ve gained a lot of knowledge and feel at home in a diverse environment at BSU. I learned about Hack.Diversity from an alumni who led me to this incredible program that enables individuals of color like me to gain expertise in the technological subjects we love!
I’ve been using computers as early as I can remember. It started with a love for video games and graduated into an interest and figuring out how these games operate. From this, I learned about programming and begged my mom for a computer! I was able to study IT as a trade in high school at a technical school where I also started learning the fundamentals of front-end programming using HTML and CSS. I gained valuable information about building and troubleshooting computers and networks. Even though I studied back-end programming in college using languages like Python and Java, I always felt like something was lacking. I fell in love with cybersecurity concepts like red-teaming and penetration testing the moment a friend of mine introduced them to me. I felt like a secret agent that could use my knowledge of networks and programming to help harden companies’ security measures before a real hack takes place.
With Hack.Diversity’s vast network of companies and alumni, I believe Hack.Diversity can help me build my network and gain a foothold in the technology industry.
By providing amazing resources that focus on the hard technical skills, as well as working on soft skills like building leadership qualities, receiving resume assistance, and more, I truly believe Hack.Diversity can help me grow into the ideal candidate for the job market that I know I can become.
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