Crypto Changes Lives

Four years ago one of our awesome staff members, Horace Williams, created “Clarke Coin” as a way for students to learn about cryptocurrency and distributed processing networks. We never thought cryptocurrency would actually matter at Turing.

Fast forward to today, and fortunes have been made. Some have been lost. Year-over-year gains are huge even if hearts feel a bit broken after the highs of BTC at $20K. Does it all matter? Are we actually moving toward a future where crypto replaces nationalized currencies? Who knows.

I can tell you crypto is making a difference here. We’re a 501(c)(3) non-profit, but fundraising has never been a big part of what we do. In our first four years we received a total of about $5K. Then, in December, our alum George Goering reached out about making a $20K donation to our scholarship fund from his cryptocurrency profits. Friend of Turing and now alum-employer Clay Collins, co-founder of Nomics, followed suit last month in sponsoring a full scholarship for a student under-represented in tech. Clay and George’s contributions have helped five students reboot their careers at Turing.

We set out to unlock human potential by training a diverse, inclusive student body to succeed in high-fulfillment technical careers. Cryptocurrency surely has a long and complicated future, but our students really appreciate the support. It’s made a difference for people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to attend a program like ours. Computing hashes might seem like nerdy trivialities, but it’s changed a few students’ lives.

Thanks Clay, George, and all the people who use their power and privilege to help open the door for others. We have a page on Public Good that allows for one-off and recurring donations — but so far they only accept your fiat currencies.

I’m the founder and Executive Director of the Turing School of Software & Design. I don’t really understand how cryptocurrency works.