INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image: Getty Images/smartboy10/DigitalVisionJessica Santana and Evin Robinson were riding the subway home from a college leadership
than 5 blocks apart.Years later, both Santana and Robinson were working six-figure jobs in the tech practices of elite corporations but were
the eyes of recruiters.So the pair met at a local Starbucks and on the back of a napkin, they outlined what would become New York on Tech
(NYOT).By offering comprehensive computational courses and a broad professional network, NYOT hopes to provide under-resourced students in
New York City with the skills and infrastructure needed for a successful career in tech.What began as a passion project with just 20
students has blossomed into an organization helping more than 1000 students across the city.Unlike the higher-level computer science classes
Santana and Robinson saw offered in schools, NYOT aims to focus on more functional skills that are applicable to the day-to-day work of tech
including front-end and back-end web development, mobile development and UX design.Classes are located at the offices of corporate partners,
NYOT are then given the opportunity to interview for internships at each partner organization, where they can gain practical experience and
noting 100% of graduates in 2016 received admission into four-year colleges, many with scholarships to top engineering programs.NYOT
influential names in tech and business, such as Google, NBCUniversal and FactSet.To date, NYOT has been built largely without city
government sponsorship, funded mainly by corporate partnerships, schools, and philanthropic donations.The company offers its programs for
free and partners with schools in high poverty areas of New York City where 50% of students or more are eligible for free lunch.But NYOT
thinks of itself not just as a non-profit providing educational training but as a deep-impact talent accelerator, supplying already capable
security, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.On top of serving more students in the New York metropolitan area, Santana and
break down the barriers of access for as many kids as they can.
