Friday, April 28, 2023 

Today, 12 young adults graduated with new IT certifications from the inaugural cohort partnering with Urban City Codes (UCC). UCC provides culturally focused learning solutions that empower under-represented and under-resourced individuals, groups, and businesses to develop and to be competitive in a technology-driven economy. 

Y.O.U. provided supportive services and pays the wages for the young adults to complete a work experience with UCC now that they have graduated. They will continue to receive training during their work experience. Participants earned either their IC3 Digital Literacy Master Certification or CompTIA ITF+ Certification. IC3 is recognized worldwide as the fundamental certification that measures the student's understanding of the fundamentals of computer systems like hardware, software, firmware, networking, and computer literacy. CompTIA establishes the right skills to prepare for a role as a service and user help desk support. Students with this certification covered basic IT skills and topics and are well-equipped to pursue a pathway in technology that will suit their interests, such as IT support, networking, programming, or cybersecurity. 

IC3 Digital Literacy Master Certification Graduates

Dezmond Berry, Ronnice Edmonds, Nehemiah Jameel Stormer, Dayuanna White, Kenneth Aaron Wright III

CompTIA ITF+ Certification Graduates

Devonte Dones, Mychael G Gregg, Dejuan Harris, Jabhari Hugley, Demetrius Williams, Hannah Woofter, Makayla Mason

After eating lunch together, the cohort heard inspiring words from their facilitators, Y.O.U. staff, and other special guests. Jennifer Valentine inspired the cohort to learn more about their personal finances. She reminded them that “We [the caring adults at Y.O.U. and Urban City Codes] are part of what they call your ecosystem. And that is each one, teach one. Where we teach you about financial literacy, investing in real estate, and how to get your credit corrected.” Jennifer works at the NID HCA HUD Office and teaches financial literacy across the region.

The young adult pictured above, Demetrius, obtained an additional certification in Az-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals on top of the other credentials. When he originally signed up for the program, he had difficulty getting settled. He stopped the program until the thoughtful facilitators at Urban City Codes urged him to try again. Candidates for this exam need a foundational knowledge of cloud services and how those services are provided with Microsoft Azure before they can obtain the certification. Now Demetrius is adept at cloud-based solutions, Azure services, Azure workloads, security and privacy in Azure, as well as Azure pricing and support. There is an entire Azure pathway for Demetrius to build his knowledge and grow his career.

Demetrius spoke to the crowd to express his appreciation for his experience. "Ever since I was younger, I wanted to be in IT. I didn't believe I could do it. I thought it was just so hard to do. But doing the young adult program, I saw my dreams come together."

He was grateful for how each of the Urban City Codes facilitators offered him something that helped him find his path. Tondi, co-founder Urban City Codes, helped him choose between cybersecurity, programing, or software development. Cache, Urban City Codes coordinator who also went through the Y.O.U. IT program in 2021, was always there to answer Demetrius’s questions about the purpose behind what they were learning.