Cohort Stories: Meet Farle
vol. 5, no. 32 — guest post by Farle Cherismo
My family is uniquely American, with heritage from Haiti, and that has been one of the key components that has contributed to the way I am today. I am a proud naturalized Haitian American that grew up in a rural, diverse place which is home to a vibrant culture, amazing food, and many businesses. My country relies on migrant labor to work on the farms and people’s entrepreneurial spirits. Through and through, that has sustained our agricultural and local economy. I remember as a little girl, helping my grandmother set up shop on the weekends and being the sales girl for her merchandise. I had no idea this would later help shape my tenacity, work ethic, and courage.
My identity helps me to lead with not just my head and intelligence, but with heart, tenacity, and values deeply rooted in my immigrant family. Which was: the dream of working hard so that the next generation could have a brighter future.
Back in the early 2000s, the only thing that mattered to me at the time was customizing my template, having the perfect background, and choosing the best song for my MySpace profile; which was a popular social networking platform, before Facebook. I was so interested and invested in my profile, that I accidentally learned HTML/CSS through trial and error. I quickly learned how to create my own layouts, banners, cover images, and other customizations. I had no idea I was coding my own designs, which created my interest in code or, better yet, a subfield of UX/UI design. Building my MySpace profile was addicting, and I hope that what once was a hobby could now turn into a career. MySpace became my source of entertainment and was the gateway to my love for technology. For many others, MySpace was the beginning of their tech career. Unfortunately I didn’t see it that way, and went the route of finance instead; a regret I have to live with every day.
I am excited to work with top-notch industry leaders in order to cultivate any talents and add value to Boston’s innovation economy. Right now, Boston has an issue of lack of diversity in tech spaces, and I believe Hack.Diversity has the right resources in order to address this issue. I support their mission of bridging the gap between cutting edge companies and overlooked talent. I hope to sharpen my teamwork and public speaking skills, since that will be a critical skill in the workplace. I’m excited most about working around other high-performing talent and narrowing down my career path.
