Darren Young * Purdue University |
Darren recently joined our BDPA Indianapolis chapter. When asked to share his thoughts on being a Rackspace scholar, Darren wrote,
Darren is currently a Junior at Purdue University studying Information Systems and Computer Information Technology. He has had a passion for working with Technology since middle school solving his parents “turn it off and turn it back on” questions. But he has gotten a chance to validate that passion with his past 2 internships in General Electric’s Digital leadership program. He spent last summer in a Data Analytics role, and this past summer he got to explore in the DevOps and cloud space.
"Ever since I began participating in the BDPA IT Showcase and attending the BDPA conference, I have felt a whole new level of inspiration and motivation diving into my IT professional career. The most impactful moments for me have been getting a chance to hear technical sessions lead by African American men and women in tech, as well as getting feedback from African American men and women in tech on how I can better myself. Going to a predominantly white institution, it is not often that I get to see successful men and women who look like me, and those numbers drop even lower when I look for these mentors in the field of technology. BDPA has given me further confidence that I have chosen the right industry and career path by allowing me to engage with students in my field, solve challenging technical research projects, and giving me access to a pool of top minority mentors in the field of technology. I am looking forward to finishing out my last few years going to the BDPA conferences as an undergrad and then going back when I am a full time employee somewhere."
Aside from work Darren stays very active on campus as the President of the Society of Minority Managers. He is also the co-founder and vice president for the Purdue Club Basketball Team. Darren believes that information technology is a powerful tool that can be used to make life easier and is a revolutionary necessity for every business. He strives to master business and technology tactics and merge his knowledge of the two giants to add value to a company and make the world we live in convenient, pleasant, connected and productive.
BDPA is blessed to have such a young and talented technology student on board as both a member and as winner of the 1st Annual Rackspace Scholarship. We look forward to supporting Darren's career as he seeks to advance in the technology industry!
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