Emmanuel Barreto and Christie Laferriere, 2024 Codesmith Scholars, share powerful stories of overcoming adversity and finding purpose in software engineering.
Emmanuel , from rural Puerto Rico, turned his early passion for tech into a mission to build products that make financial tools more accessible. With no prior tech training, he used Codesmith’s free workshops to pass the admissions process. He now dreams of launching an automated options trading platform and giving back to his family for their sacrifices.
Christie , a Queens College biology and sociology grad, pivoted from medicine to tech after exposure to development work at Salesforce. Inspired by Codesmith’s community and support, she earned the Black Engineering Scholarship and now aims to merge tech, sociology, and healthcare in ways that drive social impact and innovation.
Both highlight community, free learning resources, and long-term vision as core parts of their journey—and their motivation to build solutions that matter. Emmanuel Barreto, 2024 Latine Engineer Scholar
Despite Silicon Valley being worlds away from Lares, a remote part of Puerto Rico with scant opportunities, Emmanuel was drawn to the contrast in lifestyle modern tech offered in comparison to his hometown.
“I didn’t really have neighbors and my family worked a lot, so my mum gave me an Xbox as a child. I think that was the root of my interest in software engineering, as the games I loved were always the tech-focussed, futuristic ones.”
“They invested a lot of money, but had great outcomes. I wanted to do something similar, but aligned with my vision. I’ve always had ideas for products I want to build—ones that could be of real value to people—but never had the tools to build those ideas into reality.”
Codesmith wasn’t actually the first option found, but “when I did, I saw the passion they teach with. I saw Will’s workshop on Callbacks and Higher Order Functions and thought ‘this is just one of the free resources yet he’s enlightening my mind.’ I was hearing things I’d never heard from resources I’d paid for.”
“The app’s algorithm would execute trades automatically once certain specifications are met, allowing people to invest and make money. Because most investment tools, like savings accounts, don’t really help people.” Christie Laferriere, 2024 Black Engineer Scholar
Christie was pulled off of the path to becoming a doctor—a career she had previously been guided towards—by tech. At first, biotech, the intersection of the two disciplines, seemed to strike the right balance between her two interests.
But after being exposed to web building while working as a Development Assistant at Salesforce, she realized that tech was where her future lay. “This was the first time I thought how cool it would be to work in the tech field. However, I didn’t have the opportunity to pursue it right away.” Her first opportunity came after she graduated Queens College, in her hometown of Queens, New York, double-majoring in biology and sociology.
“I first attended SheCodes bootcamp, because they made coding look fun, cool, and pretty, but when I attempted projects independently, I realized I was lacking JavaScript knowledge. I began to network and stumbled across Codesmith.”
The preparation process for Codesmith, which challenges everyone coming into the program, was no different for Christie, but aided by Codesmith’s free resources.