
What
at
first
appears
to
be
a
typical
Monday
afternoon
Zoom
session
with
students
is
actually
a
special
discussion
between
technology
leaders
in
the
community
and
students
at
Hampton
Middle
School.
The
technology
leaders
are
members
of
The
People
of
Color
Philanthropy
Committee
at
Okta
(POC@Okta),
a
group
dedicated
to
providing
underrepresented
communities
with
resources
necessary
to
survive
and
thrive
in
modern
society.
"We
are
providing
students
with
exposure
to
the
tech
field,
a
field
that
is
not
as
heavily
advertised
in
underrepresented
communities,"
said
Brandon
McCray,
a
member
of
POC@Okta.
"We
want
these
students
to
have
the
same
access
to
diverse
career
possibilities
as
their
peers
in
more
privileged
communities."
During
the
Zoom
session,
members
of
the
committee
shared
their
perspectives
on
careers
in
technology
and
related
the
challenges
they
faced
as
a
people
of
color
in
the
technology
industry.
Students
asked
questions
and
received
valuable
tips
and
advice
from
the
technology
leaders.
"We
want
the
students
to
walk
away
feeling
empowered
and
informed.
It
is
my
belief
that
when
students
see
successful
people
who
share
similar
backgrounds
in
life
to
theirs,
that
those
students
are
more
likely
to
feel
empowered
to
succeed,"
shared
McCray.
Rachel
Preston,
an
assistant
principal
at
Hampton
Middle,
invited
students
from
Unity
Braxton
Middle
School
to
join
the
discussion
as
well.
"Unity
Braxton
Middle
is
an
International
Baccalaureate
school,
and
we
thought
this
would
be
an
excellent
way
to
connect
our
two
schools,"
said
Preston.
"We
are
looking
to
continue
to
partner
on
initiatives
and
share
resources
for
the
benefit
of
our
students."
After
the
discussion,
students
received
a
generous
donation
of
30
laptops
from
POC@Okta
for
their
personal,
at-home
use
and
to
support
their
technology
needs
and
goals.
"Our
goal
here
is
to
even
the
playing
field
for
the
future
success
of
middle
schoolers
in
underprivileged
communities,"
said
McCray.
"By
providing
these
students
with
laptops,
we
bring
them
one
step
closer
to
a
fair
starting
point."
"I
am
always
looking
for
ways
to
bring
new
and
innovative
opportunities
to
the
students
at
Hampton
and
thought
this
would
be
an
amazing
opportunity
to
educate
our
students
and
provide
much
needed
technology,"
added
Preston.