Celebrating Community: Reflections from Tech Prom and My Journey with I.C. Stars

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the I.C. Stars 25th anniversary and Tech Prom. Having never been to a prom before, I was very excited. Initially, I had a few ideas for dresses, but I decided to go with a business casual look at the last minute because I had another event to attend just before prom.

My journey with I.C. Stars has been a long one, beginning 11 years ago as an intern. Back then, I was quite reserved; I didn’t want to make a huge impact—I just wanted to learn the essentials and return to blogging. However, an alumna of the program, Brandies Meva, offered me valuable advice:

if I wanted to start my own business, I needed to understand what it was like to be an employee. So, I put my blog on hold and focused on gaining work experience.

I learned so much from the program, which proved extremely helpful in my role as a consultant. The most significant lesson was how to leverage my resilience—as an individual, a mother, and a Black woman—and apply that same skill as a technologist. I discovered how to tackle problems that seemed insurmountable and navigate challenges posed by difficult colleagues while understanding their roles and intentions.

During my time in the program, I viewed myself as a survivor. My focus was on how to endure within the system rather than thinking about community or giving back. However, throughout my career, I’ve realized that overcoming oppression requires community involvement. I learned that many others are fighting different battles but share the same goal: helping individuals escape survival mode and live life fully, pursuing their passions and dreams.

Since starting my career as a consultant, I’ve felt a persistent urge to contribute more to the community while figuring out the best way to do so. This led me to establish Geek Empowered, where I help small businesses enhance their technical capabilities. Additionally, I launched a YouTube channel to share insights on software, content creation, and marketing operations tools. Over time, I became more active on social media; some might even say I’ve become an influencer—a title that took me a long time to accept.

So where am I now? Eleven years later, I’ve built a successful career as a quality engineer and gained extensive experience in marketing operations. Currently, I focus on career development in tech, specifically in building programs and learning management systems. I’ve also ventured into policy work. With all these experiences under my belt, I’m now dedicated to creating initiatives that assist non-traditional learners in building careers in tech within an ever-changing landscape. I.C. Stars continues to produce trailblazers—leaders, business owners, and technologists—who are making significant impacts in their communities.

I’m putting it out there – I’m ready to take on new challenges. I want to work with companies and organizations that are serious about making tech more inclusive and diverse. If you’re looking to build a program that can transform lives and create a pipeline of amazing tech talent, hit me up. Let’s make some magic happen, just like I.C. Stars has been doing for a quarter-century now. It’s time to light up the industry with some new stars, and I’m here to help make it happen