Participant story: Zel (she/her)

“I want to be able to help others understand how they can create their dream product, build an online store, or consistently put out content through their own app with ease.”

1) Tell us a little about your life.
I’m from Dallas, Texas, and have a background in sales. I began coding using HTML on social websites like Xanga, Myspace, and Tumblr. After years in the insurance industry, I decided to start a small business. While putting together the business website, I began to wish I had kept up with the coding skills I gained in high school to make the process easier.

2) What made you decide to apply for Techtonica?
I decided to apply to Techtonica because it was an answer to prayers during a time I really wanted to change my career with no understanding of how to get into the tech industry. I knew I loved to code, I also was in the early stages of starting my own business and quickly realized I would need better tools and skills to carry out my vision. I looked into Techtonica after it was recommended to me, and I knew they would be able to help prepare me for the tech industry. I love that Techtonica was interested in helping minority communities. Online videos and reviews were great at giving me a little insight into the program.

3) What are you most excited to learn while at Techtonica?
I’m really excited to delve deeper into JavaScript and be able to understand long code. I want to be able to work on websites with confidence, so I know these two things will be important.

4) What do you want to contribute to or change about the tech industry?
I want to assist in the continual growth of ecommerce businesses and product /content producers. There are many new startups focused on online marketplace sellers, streamlining product development and design, and assisting in creating apps for specific content producers, and I want to be a part of that. I want to be able to help others understand how they can create their dream product, build an online store, or consistently put out content through their own app with ease.

5) What’s your dream project?
My dream project is to build the website I envisioned for my business. This website will make it easy for customers to purchase, be aesthetically pleasing, and also host a blog in which customers can converse in the comments.