Bridge Program Interns
Image Description: Afiya smiling and looking into the camera with one hand touching her chin.
Afiya Ward
Afiya (she/her) is a student at Florida A&M University studying Agricultural Science.
Her start with tech began in 8th grade, when her dad worked at the Science Museum of Minnesota and worked on a program in SMM that focused on technology as a means to solve food justice issues. Since then, they have continued to work on issues of food justice, and received the NCWiT Award for Aspirations in Computing three times throughout high school, and has previously participated in a HTG Hackathon.
What excites her about technology is that it is broad and also diverse, and includes artists, photographers, teachers, nurses and more, and that to “get into” technology, one doesn’t have to love coding or web development or robots. To her, technology is a tool that anyone can use to solve problems they care about, which is the most cool part about it.
Image Description: Grace smiling and looking into the camera.
Grace Lin
Grace (she/her) is a student at Macalester College where she plans to double-major in Computer Science and Psychology.
Grace’s experience with the tech field began her Junior year of high school, where she participated in the Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program, which introduced her to the various roles in the tech industry, as well as taught her how to code in Python, and some C++ as well as web development and robotics.
Something that interests Grace about the tech world is the vast opportunities and the intersections that tech has with other disciplines such as art.
You can connect with Grace on her LinkedIn or view her portfolio website.
Image Description: Ifraah smiling and looking into the camera.
Ifraah Dhegadub
Ifraah (she/her) attends Macalester College, where she plans to major in Computer Science.
As a student at Macalester College, she worked with the ITS help desk, which helped her rediscover a love for tech and impact her decision to major in Computer Science. She currently works Center of Study Away as a Databases and Accounts assistant and has previously participated in a HTG Hackathon.
What interests Ifraah about the tech world is the knowledge that although tech can have negative impacts and create digital divides through lack of access, there is also the opportunity to create equity through tech and bridge gaps.
You can connect with Ifraah on her LinkedIn.
Image Description: Aberdeen Smiling and looking into the camera.
Aberdeen Morrow
Aberdeen (she/her) studies Political Science and Computer Science at Macalester with an interest in studio art and graphic design.
Abderdeen has used tech since she was young, primarily using Adobe design programs for all that she can. As a computer science major, she had the chance to work on a few software dev projects and smaller activities through classes, but Hack the Gap has offered opportunities to work on real-life projects! She currently also works as the tech person for a small organization that helps people folks enroll in public health insurance.
What Aberdeen loves about tech is the way people can use technology to make everything more accessible, especially during COVID. Tech helps people get all sorts of information that they need quickly and intuitively.
Image Description: Joselyn smiling and looking into the camera.
Joselyn Angeles Figueroa
Joselyn (she/her) is a student at Macalester College majoring in Educational Studies and Sociology, with a minor in Music.
Since Joselyn has joined HTG, she has been able to grow and develop a background in tech that covers a wide span of skills and topics, including social media research, content copywriting, website building, and the financial aspects of tech development.
Joselyn is interested in the growing diversity in the tech field, as well as the opportunity to create solutions that improve the social conditions for minoritized populations.
Image Description: E Smiling and looking into the camera, holding a sign that says #FirstGenProud.
E Oropeza
E (Any pronouns) is a recent graduate of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities with a double-major in Family Social Science and Gender, Women, & Sexuality Studies.
E has previously participated in a HTG Hackathon, which has allowed them to work on tech to supplement their academic background in how access to technology and the internet impacts families.
What interests them about the tech world is the fact that everyone either uses technology or is impacted by it, and they believe that It's important that people have agency over their own data and the ability to learn more about tech.
Image Description: Carrol smiling and looking toward the camera. She is standing perpendicular to the background wall, and her face is turned to look into the camera.
Carrol Williams
Carrol (she/her) currently attends University of St. Thomas, where she plans to study Marketing and Entrepreneurship.
Carrol has previously participated in a HTG Hackathon, which was her “first dip into the nitty gritty of tech world” and allowed her to get an in-depth look at how to create technologies from various perspectives.
What interests her about the tech world is getting to see the demographic change in tech, and thinks it is really cool to see that women are starting to become a frontal force in the STEM world.
You can connect with Carrol on her LinkedIn.
Image Description: Keara smiling and looking into the camera.
Keara Berlin
Keara (she/her) is a senior Computer Science major at Macalester College.
Her experiences with tech began in high school, where she first learned to code, and joined her robotics team. In college, she have continued working on small robotics projects. She has also completed several software development internships, mostly doing front-end web and mobile development, as well as an REU this past summer implementing algorithms for underwater robotics.
What Keara loves about tech is I seeing code come to life in real time, whether it's as a button in an app or moving a robot arm.
You can connect with Keara on her LinkedIn.