The Importance ofSTE(A)M Education

The Problem We Face

In Los Angeles, talent exists everywhere. However, opportunity does not. Around 320,000 LA County households lack home internet. But access alone isn’t enough. Many homes also lack a working computer and the digital literacy to use one, especially in underserved neighborhoods.

Employers across every industry need digitally skilled problem-solvers with diverse perspectives. Tech-enabled careers are expected to grow twice as fast as other jobs this decade. And yet our community remains largely locked out of this economic engine.

The Human Cost

What happens when this gap goes unaddressed?

Brilliant minds get trapped in cycles of minimum wage or worse.

Natural innovators never get to explore code or design.

Born leaders are left without any pathway to lead.

I know because I was almost one of them.

At 18 I was sentenced to 12 years in state prison. I’m the fourth-generation in my family to serve over a decade behind bars and the third to be gang-involved. But everything changed for me when I encountered opportunity in a place most people don’t expect.

The Solution That Works

Nine years into my sentence, I was introduced to The Last Mile, a nonprofit that teaches coding and professional skills inside prisons. That prison classroom in 2016 was not just the start of my tech education, it was the moment InnerCode was born.

Today, as Co-Founder & Executive Director of InnerCode, I’ve witnessed a proven model firsthand: STEAM education transforms individuals, and transformed individuals transform communities.

STEAM adds Arts to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, traditionally known as STEM, creating entry points for diverse learners. Since 2018 through InnerCode’s founders, programs & workshops we’ve mentored, tutored & coached over 100 people.

And the ripple effects are real:

A formerly incarcerated web developer whose younger siblings now dream of college

A graffiti artist turned UI/UX Designer

Proof in Living Color

The results speak for themselves. The Last Mile reports recidivism rates far below the California 3-year average of ~39%. But the real proof is the people.

After my release in October 2018:

I joined a coding bootcamp January 2019

Landed an internship by March 2019

Started internship June 2019

Secured a full-time software engineer & consulting role by September 2019

Since then, I’ve worked with major Hollywood studios, various branches of the U.S. military and ironically, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation where I lived for over a decade of my life.

STEAM education gave me wings…sort of. I’m also an FAA-certified drone pilot, something unimaginable from my prison cell. My cofounder who served 22 years before discovering tech alongside me in The Last Mile now manages their remote instruction while building InnerCode. We’re living proof that circumstances don’t determine capabilities.