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15 Boot Camp Grads Leveraging Tech for Good in Healthcare, Education, Fair Trade, Inclusive Recruiting, and More

Written by 2U on Jun 13, 2022

Related content: Boot Camps, Impact and Outcomes

Graduates from 2U-powered university boot camps often go on to build fulfilling tech careers, with those surveyed in a recent Gallup-2U study reporting that they were nearly four times happier with their jobs after completing a boot camp. They enter into as many different industries and capacities as you can think of—from small-business startups to some of the world’s biggest companies and brands.

Even before their boot camp begins, some of these learners already have a goal to apply their newfound tech skills to helping those in need, bettering the planet, or “paying forward” what was once given to them. Others discover their altruistic calling through solo or group projects they work on during the boot camps themselves.

Here are stories of 15 boot camp graduates—from the worlds of data analytics, digital marketing, and UX/UI—who’ve found success in doing good through a variety of innovative projects and big-hearted career moves.

Championing African Cocoa Farmers

Georgia Tech Digital Marketing Boot Camp graduate Jonathan Ayimambenwe created a data-fueled social marketing platform that supports African cocoa farmers by keeping fair trade, fair prices, and positive social impact going within the industry.

Editing for Equitable Recruiting

Toshe Ayo-Ariyo, Sonal Patel, and Danielle Ho are USC Viterbi Data Analytics Boot Camp graduates who turned their winning project for a boot camp online pitch competition into UInclude, a venture that uses data-driven algorithms to help employers create inclusive job descriptions to attract more diverse candidates.

Detecting Wildfires in California

UC Davis Data Analytics Boot Camp graduate Margaret Thorpe designed a machine learning-based program that evaluates California fire camera images and automatically detects smoke plumes before they can turn into dangerous wildfires.

Improving Learning Outcomes

For their final project in the University of Minnesota UX/UI Boot Camp, Nicole Fabbri, Brianna Fitzgerald, and Mara Jones teamed up to create a prototype for Youth Engagement Services, a digital platform aimed at increasing access to education for Latino students.

Optimizing Healthcare Operations

Mehul Parekh, a graduate of the Data Analytics Boot Camp at UC Irvine Continuing Education, landed a job as a workforce specialist at national healthcare nonprofit Providence, where he helps optimize workflows so that patients, doctors, and nurses can have a more positive hospital experience.

Analyzing and Predicting Conflict

Cole Fingerut, Chris Hanafin, David Hoff, Carly Kelly, and Yasir Omar—all graduates of the George Washington University Data Analytics Boot Camp—designed an interactive dashboard analyzing determinants of conflict in Africa over the last 20 years. The project’s broader scope can help predict the consequences of a country’s socioeconomic and political shifts.

Leading People to Gluten-Free Dining

Berkeley UX/UI Boot Camp graduate Jerry Seguin applied the technical skills he learned to create Gluten Freely, a prototype app that connects people with Celiac disease to gluten-free restaurants in their area.

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