According to the Google 2024 Diversity Report:

• Only 6.4% of Google employees in the tech department are Hispanic/Latinx, and only 4.2% are Black
• Only 27.2% of Google employees in the tech sector are Female

We believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to contribute their unique perspectives to build products that serve everyone, especially underserved communities.

• Our main goal is to increase diversity in the tech industry by exposing young people to tech and creating a sense of belonging so that everyone can envision themselves in the industry and believe they bring value to it
• Out of 600+ enrolled trainees since 2017:
  • 340+ went on to pursue jobs in tech
  • 40% have been Female

Help us turn passion into opportunities by empowering our trainees as they embark on their tech careers. Be one of the reasons why they choose to pursue a career in tech by serving as a role model and a resource for them.

• Help students gain confidence in their technical skills
• Share your journey and guide them as they start theirs
• Empower trainees to see themselves in this industry
• Create opportunities where there were none

• Instructor/Tutor: Teach our trainees valuable skills
• Mentor: Serve as a role model for our trainees as they jumpstart their tech careers
• Teacher Assistant: Assist the instructor during the lecture to support the trainees’ learning
• Workshop Facilitator: Expose our trainees to other career options by teaching on a topic such as UX Design, AI, Cybersecurity, and more!
• And more!

• Flexible volunteer opportunities
• Expand your professional network
• Make an impact on our trainees’ futures
• Serve as a role model for our trainees
• Join a purpose-driven community

“Denisse has been super vital to my career journey when I wasn’t sure where or how to get started. As a young Latina woman in male-dominated spaces, it can be intimidating to put yourself and your work out there. Denisse has taught me how to find confidence in my journey and be proud of my accomplishments. She encourages me to seek opportunities in the tech industry by helping me network and teaching me how to present my experiences and skills with confidence. 


Having a powerful, successful, confident female role model in my life has been so important for me. I know I can always count on her for advice and support. I am so grateful for Dev/Mission for crossing our paths together.”

Paola Ayala

UX Designer and Project Coordinator at San Jose State University

“My favorite part about having a mentor was definitely having someone to reach out to for career advice. The advice and guidance I got through my mentorship helped me then and now. Without it, I’m not sure where I would be or what career path I’d be going down. 

My mentor also challenged me to do things outside my comfort zone. I attended tech events and networked with people because of him, things I normally would have chosen not to do. Nowadays, I’m more inclined to attend events and reach out to people for advice. He 100% helped me become more confident.”

Octavio Lara Ramirez

Community Technology Ambassador at Dev/Mission

• Whether you have just a few hours a month or want to mentor long-term, you can still contribute to our mission! 
• You can volunteer remotely or join us in person, making it easy to give back in a way that fits your schedule.

Join us for a 1-hour orientation to learn more about our mission to increase opportunities in tech and motivate diverse youth to pursue tech careers. Meet our passionate team, explore volunteer roles, and learn how you can help empower the next generation!

• Thursday, March 19th at 5:00 PM
• Thursday, April 21st at 5:00 PM

Meet Mary, a Google software engineer and dedicated volunteer in our pre-apprenticeship program! Mary brings her passion for technology to our students by teaching IoT and inspiring the next generation of tech leaders.

We’re grateful for volunteers like Mary who make a real difference in our community. For the rest of the month, we will highlight more volunteers and showcase how they are empowering future innovators across all our social media channels.

The post Volunteers Needed: Help Bridge the Diversity Gap in Tech! appeared first on Dev/Mission.

Cohort #34 will be wrapping up their first month soon! So far, they have been introduced to IoT and are starting to program Arduinos in C++, getting familiar with computer hardware components, learning about programming fundamentals such as HTML and CSS, and professional skills to help prepare them for their professional journeys! 

Over the next two months, they will continue to build their hands-on skills, gain mentorship, and career support to launch their career in the tech industry. 

This month, we celebrated two of our cohorts! 

• Cohort #18 graduated on February 9th
• Cohort #19 graduated on February 5th

We are so proud of how far they have come! They came to Dev/Mission with very little knowledge of how to navigate a computer, but they left feeling more confident than ever. Over the course of 8 workshops, our students learned how to perform basic troubleshooting, be more secure online, and use powerful tools such as Google Docs and more!

Make sure to sign up for our next BDL Classes, which will be in Spanish!

Last week, on February 27th, we had a refurbathon at Dev/Mission HQ. It was an amazing opportunity for community members to gain digital literacy skills with our team, including learning to type on a keyboard, staying safe online, and more!

In addition to the essential skills they learned, they also received a free refurbished laptop, on which they will practice the skills they learned with us!

The post February Updates: Small Steps, Big Impact appeared first on Dev/Mission.

Our Spring 2026 Interns!

They are just getting started, and we are looking forward to all they will accomplish ahead! Over the quarter, they will be supporting our community through hands-on IT work, device refurbishments, and media projects that help share our mission.

They will also get hands-on experience in their roles, seeing firsthand how each position is vital to keep our organization running. By learning and contributing to real-world projects, they will gain valuable skills and experiences along the way that will allow them to grow. 

California Broadband Council: The Community Spotlight

Our Executive Director, Leo, was honored to speak in front of the California Broadband Council (CBC) last Friday, January 23rd, as “The Community Spotlight,” which took place at the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors!

He shared how our graduates from our program become Community Technology Ambassadors, providing free tech support, digital literacy workshops, and computer distribution inside affordable housing communities.

We are super thankful to the California Broadband Council and the entire team that made it happen so that Leo could speak about Dev/Mission’s Registered Pre-Apprenticeship Program!

Refurbishing Center: Impact Report

Bridging the digital divide takes a village, and these numbers represent more than just hardware. They represent pathways to new opportunities, higher education, and stronger connections! 

The breakdown of our refurbished devices:

• Refurbathon Events: 232
• Pre-Apprenticeship: 187
• Spanish BDL Classes: 138
• English BDL Classes: 70
• Digital Music Lab: 9

Total: 636 !!

This would not have been possible without our incredible team of 7 IT Technicians, who put in the hard work every single day: Nico Carillo, Jorge Jimenez, Raymundo Portillo, Austin Hui, Ameeya Broussard, Nick Medina, and Ruby Singer. 

A massive thank you to our corporate partners and donors for providing the tech that fuels our mission: Veritas | SFPL | Patreon | Comcast | Udacity | McAfee | Codenation 

Hear From Our Recent Alumni Who Are Making Their Mark In The Tech Industry

True impact goes beyond graduation day. Catch up with our alumni to learn about their journeys within the technology field: from their first spark of curiosity in our classrooms to the careers they are pursuing today.

The post Jumping into Action: January Updates & Insights appeared first on Dev/Mission.

How did it come to existence?

The hiring process can present itself to be one of the most intimidating processes for any individual in search of a career. In San Francisco’s tech scene, organizations’ hiring process presents itself as one of the most competitive markets for employment. As most entry-level hiring positions seek individuals with 2+ years of experience, this expectation poses a significant challenge for applicants in search of their first full-time position and applicants in search of a new professional endeavor but lack sufficient experience. Many young adults are presented with this obstacle and wonder, “is there an alternative route? Are there other career pathways available to me?”

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Through Dev/Missions pre-apprenticeship program, students engage for a 3-month development process in the pursuit of acquiring hands-on education in IT essentials, intro to programming, IoT (Internet of Things), and hard/soft career skills. Upon their completion, graduates of the pre-apprenticeship program earn eligibility to enter the 4-month CTA program to utilize their acquired knowledge in assisting residents that seek free tech support and separately acquiring certification in skills like Google IT, LinkedIn Learning, Troubleshooting Network Connectivity, etc. What allows them this opportunity is the work based learning model set in place by Dev/Mission.

Although Dev/Mission includes these skill building environments through the Pre-Apprenticeship program and the CTA program, Leo Sosa believed there was still one piece missing. “How can we expose our students to more opportunities through our work based learning model to properly prepare them for their future in the tech industry?” With the potential of forming a tangible opportunity, Leo turned to networking with a specialist whose job is to provide individual talents with training program opportunities to gain technical skills through hands-on experiences.

In partnership with OEWD (Office of Economic & Workforce Development) Sr. Workforce Program Specialist, Nadeja Adams has been in collaboration alongside Leo with the development of a new program called, Skill Up program. As students complete the pre-apprenticeship program, they’re able to enter the CTA program which runs simultaneously with the Skill Up program. Ultimately, the Skill Up program acts as a pipeline for the CTA interns to gain real world exposure to the tech industry, also known as a project based learning model. This opportunity will allow tech educated young adults the chance to familiarize themselves through hands-on work, learn from mentors and peers, and develop their soft skills and technical skills through a project-based learning opportunity.

With Nadeja’s career experience, she proves significant in the creation of the Skill Up program. Her involvement provides effective career pathway exposure through networking with companies to ensure engagement of their partnership with the program. In Leo’s partnership with Nadeja, their goals align in regards to providing these career pathway opportunities and believe the Skill Up program will do just that through mentorship, development practices, and experiential learning.

To put it into perspective, the first group of Skill Up apprentices began their journey with a partnering company just this March. A Pre-Apprenticeship Program graduate and CTA Program intern, Beatrice, with the first cohort of the Skill Up program has the privilege of exploring PCS Technology and what their project expectations look like.

Thanks to Skill Up, I feel like I’m a lot more capable now that I’ve gotten in-person experience and understand what the expectations are like, along with a better understanding of what skills companies are actually looking for in their job descriptions. I feel like being able to put this work experience on my resume puts me at a great advantage when applying to jobs. Given the current state of the job market, any amount of experience is valuable and can help set me apart from other candidates.

Through this experience, Beatrice is gaining agency within herself in the tech sector, allowing her to set herself apart from other candidates when she begins to apply for positions in the tech industry. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the Skill Up Programs influence, let’s get insight from another Pre-Apprenticeship Program graduate and CTA Program intern, Antonio, who’s currently working with Beem.

“This program is an important path for Dev/Mission students because it creates an opportunity for us to get the experience to work in the tech industry. It gives us the chance to observe the environment and behind the scenes in a tech company, which I can say it’s stressful and challenging but fun. You get the opportunity to learn how to work with a team and your supervisor, which is something that I never experienced because employers look for two years experience in the entry level positions and this program helps us get the experience that we can’t find anywhere else.”

Evidently, this project-based learning model is Dev/Mission’s lacking element of experience and confidence building for the students seeking tech employment who are facing job market challenges. With the hands-on learning and development of their skills, the Skill Up Program proves to be purely beneficial in assisting the apprentices with this resume building opportunity. Through the accumulation of strengthening soft skills, technical skills, confidence, and networking, we strive to encourage our students to propel forward in their pursuit of job hunting within the tech realm.

Through our commitment in providing our interns with an exceptional learning experience, moving forward we are actively seeking partnering tech companies in order to build the confidence in the young tech talent by developing their skill set. If your company or a fellow tech company you know would find the Skill Up Program an exciting opportunity to work with, connect with Leo Sosa or Nadeja Adams with questions to further understand our goal of this program. Should this program inspire you, in your willingness to provide interns with an alternative career pathway to their future careers, we would be privileged to network regarding any interests in collaborating and taking an extra step in lending the future of tech a hand.

The post What is the Skill Up Program? appeared first on Dev/Mission.

The significance of technology and its impact on society has been rampant since the pandemic, leaving our digitally marginalized communities in the dark. Many tasks like requesting a doctor’s appointment, developing and submitting a resume, or even grocery shopping, can now seem daunting to individuals who have less familiarity with technology. In 2018, Dev/Mission developed the CTA program which operates to combat this digital divide by providing direct free tech support to San Francisco residents.

The CTA program is known as Community Technology Ambassadors Program, where a graduate of the pre-apprenticeship program has the opportunity to become a CTA intern. Each intern is placed in Affordable and Low Income Communities to practice their newly acquired knowledge in tech to support our digitally marginalized San Francisco community.

The Expansion

As a CTA intern, tasks involve assisting clients with various technology needs which include troubleshooting, data backup/recovery, device setup and optimization, and email configuration. Their role as Community Technology Ambassadors demonstrates their value in supporting San Francisco residents. In order to provide this benefit to the digitally marginalized communities, it became evident that an expansion is necessary.

The original five tech support locations are: Valencia Gardens, 1030 Oakdale, 3 Harbor, Bernal Dwellings and Hayes Valley South. With our desire to expand, we have also established five brand new tech support locations throughout San Francisco.

These locations include: (1) Carter Terrace, (2) Five Keys, (3) North Ping Yuen, (4) The Arc San Francisco, and (5) The Margot. Now, with 10 total locations, this opportunity lends much easier access to free direct tech support for San Francisco’s digitally marginalized communities. If you would like access to these tech support locations, you can find a location near you by seeking our tech support page.

2024 CTA Stats

Tech Support Hours

As San Francisco continues to face this digital divide, many local residents have sought out our interns assistance. The work our CTA interns put in this previous year (2024) is a total of 1,142 hours providing 1,012 residents with any tech related questions and concerns. This number is not including the support they provide at each of our Dev/Mission Refurbathon events which adds about 2-3 extra hours per event. These free one-on-one sessions with a CTA intern provides our residents with a handful of guidance and support regarding technology knowledge in pursuit of closing the digital divide.

Devices Refurbished and Distributed

As we seek opportunities to educate our local residents, we also provide them with tangible resources on top of the intangible knowledge. In our mission to close the digital divide, our Refurbathon events and Digital Literacy courses have combined in the distribution of 309 total refurbished laptops in 2024. That’s almost one laptop a day! As the digital age is inevitable, it inspires our purpose to help support San Francisco’s digitally marginalized community by enabling them easy access to these resources.

By providing these events and resources to overlooked San Francisco communities, they gain knowledge, resources, and especially confidence in their abilities to manage through their own digital devices. Residents interested in attending future Basic Digital Literacy courses, I encourage you to check out our tech support page for more information and subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date with our upcoming events.

Success Story and Impact

Whether you have no familiarity or sufficient enough familiarity with tech, assistance with any device can be inquired about at any one of our CTA locations. Our CTA program proves beneficial to all San Francisco residents as it acts as a ‘tech bar’ for residents through free tech support. Individuals inquiring about CTA services have expressed their experiences as empowering as they begin to navigate the digital world.

A CTA intern from 2024’s cohort 10, Milly, provided a client with exceptional help regarding file organization. The client, Felicia, had learned about the CTA program through the SF Public Library and scheduled an appointment at the Valencia location. Felicia shares her story of seeking guidance and the impact through Milly’s assistance. 

“I’m approaching middle age and never had a lot of exposure to the technology so regularly used now. I feel very left behind… I needed some help with basic file organization. Angelo facilitated the appointment and I met with both him and a knowledgeable intern named Milly. They were incredibly helpful, genuine, and kind. I couldn’t have asked for better people to assist and guide me in a way that was comfortable. I left feeling more confident and empowered and even signed up for their free computer literacy program, which they introduced me to. I’m really grateful I stumbled upon this organization!”

Through Milly’s experience with the pre-apprenticeship program, she was able to guide Felicia with any question brought forth. Of the 1,012 clients helped out, this is one of many stories that impacted a fellow San Francisco resident with knowledge that resulted in feelings of confidence and empowerment.

Goals for the Future

From only five total locations this previous year, to doubling that number by this Spring, exposes the value our program has to offer in assisting others. The growth of the CTA program has benefited our community members tremendously, providing almost half of San Francisco with a location to receive free direct tech support. We aspire to increase the number of locations throughout San Francisco in order to provide everyone with access to free digital resources.

We would not have been able to expand to these lengths without the grants provided to our Community Technology Ambassador intern program. With acknowledgements and appreciation to Rey LaChaux, the Digital Equity Manager of the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD), Stupski Foundation, & AT&T, these initiatives have generously funded the CTA program expansion in recognition of the support our CTA interns provide. Our mission to provide free tech support at locations accessible to all San Francisco residents will decrease this digital divide and benefit our digitally marginalized community.

Dev/Mission expects to continue extending future support to local underserved communities. According to Leo Sosa, “We pay attention to where the need for digital knowledge and tech support is and provide a Community Ambassador in every affordable housing location of San Francisco.” Overlooked communities that may lack use and knowledge of technology can express their interest in our expansion to more accessible institutional spaces near them by reaching out to CTA Program Coordinator, Angelo Pasagui.

With many career paths requiring moderate to professional tech knowledge, our program is designed to expose individuals to these skill-building opportunities to gain experience helping the community. If you find yourself going through trouble with any devices or tech issues, inquire in the free tech support when necessary. Organizations in the corporate world with piqued interest in our tech support programs, I strongly encourage you to reach out to the director of Dev/Mission, Leonardo Sosa, regarding any collaborative support, partnerships, or other ways to help the community.

The post CTA Program: Our Expansion, 2024 Stats, and Future Goals appeared first on Dev/Mission.

Refurbathon!

On Thursday, January 30, we extended our hand to the digitally marginalized residents of San Francisco by providing them with one of our most information abundant events, we like to call, Refurbathons! Thanks to our Community Technology Ambassador Program Coordinator, Angelo Pasagui, and his collaboration with Jenny Rubio of the Access Program with Five Keys, held at the Southeast Community Center in the Bayview. 25 participants were given the opportunity to gain basic computer knowledge and skills that prove crucial to technology use.

Two of our wonderful CTA interns led the first hour session of the refurbathon while others assisted the inquiring residents with any issues or questions that arose. Omar Dajani, who provides direct free tech support at The Arc San Francisco, kicked off the event by combining the energies of fun and learning, presenting the importance of keyboard familiarity to enhance the participants skills and confidence with their typing abilities.

Following the keyboard familiarity, another one of our CTA interns, Oussama Naji, who provides direct free tech support there at Five Keys in the Southeast Community Center, could not express enough the importance of recognizing browser security/insecurity and strong password use, to promote online confidentiality and prevent personal information leakage. The room of 25 residents were fully engaged patiently waiting to participate with some of the slides and questions brought up by Oussama.

We want to acknowledge those who assisted our residents with questions such as one of our CTA interns, Antonio Gil, who helps with our Spanish Basic Digital Literacy Classes and provides direct free tech support at Dev/Mission’s 360 Valencia location, Issac Sosa, who is our Refurbishing Center Coordinator, and Austin Hui, who is our IT Technician intern.

Not only did we encourage computer use and safety but with the partnership of AT&T and MOHCD (Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development) the participants were successfully exposed to significantly invaluable resources that only benefit them, beginning with AI understanding, to internet accessibility for housing, and device accessibility to all.

The Director of External Affairs from AT&T, Cammy Blackstone, generously provided her time and resources with the Refurbathon attendees in the second hour of the event. Cammy introduced the new technological age of Artificial Intelligence and how to maneuver and manage the use of AI with informative videos related to “AI Safety and Security,” AI creativity in relation to “Intellectual Property”, and app algorithms. The individual participants discovering all the resources and benefits at their fingertips, not only informed them, but excited them. Cammy shares, “We all hear about the Digital Divide, but to come to these events and see how many people don’t have access to technology is really eye opening. It is so gratifying to be able to participate with Dev/Mission in supporting those in need with access to these important skills and tools.”

Dev/Mission is full of gratitude to our loyal partnerships with Cammy along with the knowledge she shares with our San Francisco residents to keep them informed in the digital world. Not only are we thankful for her presence of sharing knowledge, but on behalf of our attending participants, we are beyond grateful for her role in AT&T as she provided all of the event participants with a free HP Laptop refurbished by Human-IT and a free backpack filled with items like notebooks, pens, stress ball, etc.

In our final hour, Digital Equity Manager of MOHCD (the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development), Reymon LaChaux, introduced our residents to the San Francisco Digital Equity page of SF.gov. Here he presented all of the resources available to San Francisco residents. Depending on their individual circumstances, the residents were heavily encouraged to look into the resources accessible to them such as free home wifi, accessibility to devices ( buy or borrow), computer classes, learning digital skills, job trainings, youth/school resources, tech support, etc.

All of these opportunities to our San Francisco residents are beyond what they imagined during this event. Physically seeing the smiles on their faces, eyes light up, cheers and applause throughout the event introduced a feeling of empowerment in each of our event participants. We are committed to continue giving back to the community with the opportunity to gain newfound knowledge when it comes to closing the gap of the digital divide and any resources available to them. Stay up-to-date with Dev/Mission to be informed of our future Refurbathon events and we hope to see you there!

The post Five Keys Refurbathon appeared first on Dev/Mission.

On August 1st, we gathered at The San Francisco Women’s Building for a special laptop and backpack distribution event! Thanks to a generous contribution from AT&T and Human-I-T, we provided 24 refurbished laptops and backpacks filled with school supplies to students and families in need.

This effort was part of AT&T’s mission to bridge the digital divide and equip 20,000 students nationwide. It was incredible to see the impact of community support in action!

The post Laptop and Backpack Giveaway to local families appeared first on Dev/Mission.