Many of us may not be fully aware of this, but March 21 was International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
Many of us may not be fully aware of this, but March 21 was International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
As unheralded as this day might appear, its significance simply cannot and should not be understated. Racial discrimination is not only one of the most unfortunate occurrences that takes place right before our very eyes, it’s also the root of an underperforming society. Racial discrimination not only leads to division, hatred and violence, it also leads to people not receiving the opportunities that they deserve.
During our time here at Skillspire, we’ve come across many extremely bright and talented individuals. We’ve trained people who are now working for major corporations, such as Microsoft, Amazon, T-Mobile, Expedia and more. What’s the common trend that we see amongst all of these students? There is no common trend. They all come from a variety of unique backgrounds and cultures! With the presence of racial discrimination, we miss out on witnessing the greatness that lies within so many individuals. The color of someone’s skin shouldn’t have any effect on their ability to break into their dream career.
All of you are very much aware of our mission. Many of you chose us over some of our competitors solely because of our mission. We’ve come across so many varieties of students over the years, and a lot of students come with stories/backgrounds that are truly eye-opening. Refugees and immigrants are two of our largest student demographics, and it’s incredible how much of an impact our programs have had on these populations.
We don’t have enough fingers to count the number of people we’ve spoken with who have left their homelands in pursuit of a fresh start, only to arrive in the U.S.A. without solid footing.
Many of these individuals have partners/families, so they have much more at stake than their own well-beings. We’ve had several students study computer science or related fields at universities in different countries, only to find that those credentials weren’t recognized by U.S. companies. Leaving one’s homeland empty handed is an extremely brave journey to embark upon, which is why we love helping out this population of people. So many of these individuals are forced into working long hours at jobs that don’t pay very well, just to make ends meet. Many of these people aren’t in positions to spend $15,000+ to forsake their full-time jobs in pursuit of a coding bootcamp, which is why most coding bootcamps simply aren’t great fits for them. This is exactly why we’ve made our programs affordable to the masses and part-time. Skillspire was started with this aforementioned population of people in mind, so we knew that we wanted to cater and structure our business model to make everything feasible for them.
In addition to serving refugees and immigrants, we’ve also served many Americans who originate from various backgrounds. African Americans, Asian Americans and Latin Americans have been some of our most prominent student populations. Every single one of our instructors roots from a minority heritage, which is something that we’re very proud of. We’ve had students from all different types of backgrounds/ethnicities enter into our programs and thrive. Our relationships with our students are extremely close and personal, and a big reason why is because our CEO has literally spoken with every one of our students, 1-on-1. We foster a community feel because our goal isn’t to simply teach you how to code. Our goal is to help you change your life by teaching you the skills that you need to bolster your career for the long haul.
The presence of racial discrimination within modern day societies isn’t a mere coincidence, it’s a product of our own lack of understanding and awareness. Nationality and culture shouldn’t give us a sense of overarching pride and arrogance. It shouldn’t cause division and violence, nor should it cause people to utter slurs at one another. We need to learn how to embrace different nationalities/ethnicities. Every culture has their own very unique set of characteristics that makes them stand out amongst other cultures, and we need to recognize this reality. Join us here at Skillspire and become a part of our vibrant, inclusive community. Be a part of the revolution, not the ways of the past…
Happy International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination Day, everyone!
