We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jessica Santana a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jessica, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s kick things off with a hypothetical question – if it were up to you, what would you change about the school or education system to better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career?

My lived experiences growing up in East New York, Brooklyn and being a proud product of the NYC public school system really taught me that genius is equally distributed and opportunity is not. There are a myriad of suggestions I would make to our educational system that include:

-Offer Early Exposure to Technology: Provide early exposure to technology and tech-related fields to spark interest and awareness among students. I didn’t have access to the kinds of opportunities growing up, which inspired me to create them for others.

-Incorporate Computer Science and Technology Education: Integrate computer science and technology education into the curriculum, ensuring that students learn the skills required for future tech careers. Many schools still don’t have robust computer science or technology education programs and I believe it is an injustice for students not to have access to this content knowing the technology-driven world we live in today.

-Diverse Representation: Increase diversity and representation of role models and mentors in the tech industry within curriculums shared among students. Doing so promotes opportunities for them to see themselves as being able to obtain these kinds of careers in the future, who currently make up a small portion of the tech workforce.

-Affordable Tech Education: Make technology education programs accessible and affordable, especially for families who may struggle to afford expensive coding programs.

-Incorporate Life Skills: The education system should include courses or modules on essential life skills such as financial literacy, emotional intelligence, critical thinking, and problem-solving. These skills are crucial for personal and professional success.

-Experiential Learning: Promote experiential learning through internships, apprenticeships, and real-world projects. This hands-on experience can help students apply their knowledge and develop practical skills.

-Flexible Learning Pathways: Recognize that students have different learning styles and interests. Offer more flexible learning pathways, including vocational training and technical education, to cater to diverse career aspirations.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

In the United States, poverty, race, and education are inextricably linked. Black and Latinx students are more often socioeconomically disadvantaged and attend schools with fewer resources, fewer credentialed teachers, and limited access to extracurricular activities and experiences, particularly in STEM, that significantly impact their educational experiences and career trajectories.

These disparities are particularly evident in the tech sector, where Black and Latinx individuals combined only make up about 15% of the workforce despite being over 30% of the population. In a country as racially diverse as ours, we need our innovation sector to be representative of people of color, especially Black and Latinx people. The problem here is not due to a lack of talent, but rather a lack of equitable and accessible career pathways.

In 2014, my co-founder Evin Robinson and I sought to address these issues with the formation of America On Tech (AOT), a national non-profit organization that provides free tech education and culturally relevant workforce development training to students between the ages of 16- 24. Evin and I were inspired to found AOT by our own experiences as young technology professionals where we personally witnessed the distinct lack of diversity within the field. Recognizing the transformative potential that these high wage and high demand careers could provide, we set out to make this change starting with our hometown neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York.

I personally was raised in East New York, Brooklyn and I am a proud product of NYC public schools. At 16, I noticed that many of my friends started dropping out of school. But my parents made sure that wouldn’t be part of my life story. I made education a priority and graduated valedictorian from high school and enrolled in Syracuse University on a full scholarship, earning both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees there. I now recognize, more than ever before, how fortunate I have been to have a support system around me that has made this possible — not everyone is that fortunate.

After college, I got a job as a technology consultant. At age 25, I founded America On Tech to help students obtain opportunities in the technology sector. We have so far been able to provide over 5,000 students across New York City, Miami and Los Angeles tuition-free technology education opportunities over the last decade. 85% of our young people get into jobs in tech or pursue technology degree programs. We have even seen a myriad of our students coming out of our programs making upwards of $250K per year in total compensation. We’re passionate about this work because we know that genius is universal, but opportunity is not. We believe that everyone, regardless of their background, should have a chance to pursue a career in technology and we’re committed to seeing that vision to and through.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

When I initially made the decision to commit full-time to my nonprofit role, it seemed like an unconventional choice to many. Even my parents couldn’t quite grasp the reasoning behind it. To them, my departure from a corporate career seemed at odds with the very dreams they had pursued — securing their children’s financial success through education and stability. This decision was further complicated by the fact that I didn’t have any other Latina founders as role models at that time, which fueled my self-doubt.

Fortunately, I had an invaluable ally and confidant in my co-founder, Evin Robinson. It was a pivotal moment when we decided to apply for a $50,000 grant after receiving encouragement from an affiliate of the Camelback Ventures Fellowship. To our astonishment, we were awarded the grant. From our launch in September 2014 to the moment we secured the grant funds in January 2015, we endured countless sleepless nights and grueling workdays. We resorted to late-night Google Hangout sessions, persisting in our corporate roles until we had secured the necessary funding. Since then, we have raised close to $20M to support this work over the last nine years.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

The following management books have helped tremendously: Atomic Habits by James Clear
The Four-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss

Here are books that helped me contextualize my leadership style. Though not regarded as management books, they certainly helped me in my entrepreneurial journey:
The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo
All About Love by Bell Hooks
Bodega Dreams by Ernest Quinonez
The Coldest Winter Ever – Sister Souljah

Contact Info:

• Website: www.americaontech.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/americaontech/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/americaontech/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/america-on-tech
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/AmericaOnTech
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@americaontech