Diversity and inclusion are critical underpinnings to our evolving culture at Microsoft and powerful bridges to the marketplace. They can be determining factors in whether or not talented people come to work for us, and whether people buy our products. Through our investment in diverse partnerships on a broad range of opportunities, we continue to work to increase the pipeline of diverse talent, increase retention and match talent to job opportunities that are vital to our success in the future.This month, we are honored to feature the voices of local leaders who represent our commitment to diversity and use their drive to help the community in which they serve.
— Microsoft New York Staff
Interview by Sacha Thompson
Recently, President Obama announced a $4 billion Computer initiative called Computer Science for All. This initiative hopes to prepare more young Americans for jobs in the technology field. In light of this initiative, I sat down with Computer Science Engineer, Onyi Nwosu to discuss the impact of STEM education and technology on the black community.
As Onyi explains, exposure to technology is important in the black community because it can change someone’s mindset from consumer to maker. “When you are watching TV or listening to the radio you are consuming media but you may not realize how accessible it is to become the maker [of that media]. People use the Vine platform to create fun videos but you can also use this technology to build a business. It’s important for the black community to be involved in the building of things. If there are more makers in the community, then there will be more products that meet the needs of the community. Also, people may not realize how accessible it is to become a maker. If you are interested in computer science there are so many free resources out there, such as Code.org. If you have access to a computer and the Internet you can learn to build apps and websites. You don’t necessarily have to go to college, or have any prior experience, you can start wherever you are.”
With 15 years of experience in computer engineering, Onyi became interested in science and technology long before it became a national concern. “Growing up, I always knew that I was going to be an engineer because of my father, (who is a chemical engineer) I just wasn’t sure what kind of engineer. When I was in college, computer science was just becoming a big deal and my college required everyone to take a computer science class. I took the class and I really loved it and was really good at it. So, that’s how I decided on Computer Engineering as my major.”
Onyi credits her father with fostering a love of math and science in her from an early age, as well as being her constant supporter. “It is so important to have someone who will encourage and support you, and for me it was my dad. He always told me that I could do anything I wanted as long as I worked really hard.” Today, Onyi hopes to provide that support and exposure to the next generation. “I don’t ever feel that I am discriminated against explicitly, but if you are always the only woman or black person in the room you started to wonder if you belong there. I started to think about how I could get more people interested in computer science and looked around for volunteer opportunities. I read an article about Kimberly Bryant’s Black Girls Code organization and thought that would be the perfect way to give back.”
Black Girls Code aims to increase the number of women of color in STEM fields by empowering and exposing girls to computer science and technology at a young age. “It is really important for programs like this to be in these communities so that young people become aware of these opportunities. I know that every girl that comes to a Black Girls Code event will not become a computer scientist, but it’s important that even a few of them become aware that this is an option for them.”
In the future, Onyi hopes to create more opportunities for young people to learn more about the technology field. “There are so many different things that you can do in tech. You can work in Dev Ops and build the actual networks or you can be a designer. Even if don’t have the coding or the artistic skills you can be a product manager or quality assurance tester. That is why it is so important that we keep the barrier to entry very low and expose young people to different aspects of the field. If you find the one thing you like, you can focus and build a career off it. But you can’t become something you don’t know even exists.”