Bloomberg Black in Tech mentors improve coding fluency & interview readiness of Black engineering students
March 04, 2022
Early in the fall of 2021, the Bloomberg Black in Tech (BBIT) Accelerator Program was launched with 30 pairs of mentors and student mentees from diverse backgrounds. The goal of this six-week program was to help add equity to the interview process for Black tech talent studying computer science and engineering at bootcamps, colleges and universities — including the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) — or that our team members had previously met at targeted events and conferences like Black is Tech or Black Women Talk Tech (BWTT). The program also aims to build candidates’ confidence and provides actionable feedback to improve tech interview outcomes.
This one-on-one mentoring program, which up-skills Black students by improving their coding fluency and interview readiness, followed a similar model to the one that Bloomberg’s recruiting team successfully organized in the summer of 2021 together with the Bloomberg Latinx Community’s tech group (BLC Tech) that focused on Latinx candidates at four Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) in Puerto Rico, and which resulted in multiple hires.
The program’s success was summed up by two of the computer science students who shared how going through the BBIT Accelerator Program helped contribute to their successfully getting hired into full-time roles with Bloomberg:
Ernst FanFan
Kennesaw State University
“Bloomberg’s Accelerator program gave me exactly what I was missing to get hired! While I had the knowledge I had earned through my studies and experience, I was still missing the know-how about interviewing for positions. The program gave me the feedback and practice I needed to navigate these interviews. I learned there is more to interviewing than just the application of knowledge; there is a collaborative and storytelling aspect that many new to the job scene simply don’t know about. The prep sessions helped me understand this and also gave me examples of what to do and what not to do, and the weekly meetings with my mentor gave me a safe environment to practice these new principles and skills. In the end, I was able to master these new techniques and use them to better showcase my knowledge, past experience, and collaborative skills.”
Gregory Ross, Jr.
Software Engineer, AIM Order Blotter Workflow
& Brooklyn College graduate
“The BBIT Accelerator Program significantly inspired my decision to join Bloomberg. Conway, my mentor during the program, was extremely supportive and transparent regarding Bloomberg’s culture and work life. During the program, there was an emphasis put on engineering and Bloomberg’s commitment to outreach to the underrepresented communities in tech. This aligned well with my career goals. I’m excited for the journey to come.”
We also asked some of the mentors what they had learned while mentoring these Black engineering students. Here are some of the lessons and personal experiences they shared:
José Rivera-Santuche
Engineering Team Lead, EMSX Routing Workflows
“HBCU students have the passion to learn and improve themselves. As a mentor, I enjoyed spending time with a passionate mentee and seeing their constant growth on a weekly basis. Definitely a good fit for our Bloomberg Engineering culture.”
Aram Chung
Software Engineer, Insights Relevancy
“Mentoring in a pandemic, where my lovely mentee was in another state, I learned how virtual learning can broaden our reach. In general, opportunity shouldn’t be restricted by geography.”
Conway Tang
Engineering Team Lead, BQL Data Provider SDK
“I learned that anyone can provide the initial seed and make an amplified impact. As a BBIT Accelerator Mentor, I had the opportunity to work alongside my mentee as they worked through the challenge first-hand and succeeded. Giving is receiving. As a past accelerator participant, the mentee will now be able to carry on the ideology, and be an ambassador to make an amplified impact.”
Sarah Yu
Software Engineer, ESG Integration
“Through this experience, I learned that a program held over the course of multiple weeks means we get to form a real relationship with the Accelerator participants, understand their goals, and tailor the sessions to them. I got to work with such a genuine and dedicated Accelerator student who was studying abroad in Denmark the whole time! It made it all the more rewarding that they succeeded.”
Terrence Crossdale
Senior Software Engineer, Consumer Web Marketing/Lead Generation
“Having the opportunity to be a mentor was very self-reflective and fulfilling in a variety of ways. It allowed me to realize and appreciate my own career path, while also being able to correlate it to my mentee’s in a more personal way. I was proud and inspired of the way my mentee embraced all of my tips and advice that I shared, while demonstrating consistent growth throughout the program.”
Bhavya Kumari
Engineering Team Leader, FXGO Cash Pricing & Execution
“I always find mentoring is a two-way learning process. You teach your mentees, while at the same time learning so much from them as well. The HBCU mentoring experience taught me to be more aware of the challenges that students are facing in the remote learning environment, be it a lack of group study opportunities or a nice and quiet setup. Plus, it’s always motivating to see the growth in the student participants.”
Tuba Opel
Software Engineer, Data Services
“It was a great mentorship experience. My mentee had recently switched her major to computer science because of her newfound love for coding. This reminded me of my own journey, so it was quite fulfilling to be mentoring her at this stage. I learned that having the right encouragement at an early stage of one’s career can be quite impactful, especially for individuals from communities that are underrepresented in tech.”
Keyong Li
Team Lead, Application Frameworks
“One-on-one and face-to-face mentoring (even if done remotely) can make a huge difference.”
Deji Akinyemi
Senior Software Engineer, Asset and Investment Management (AIM)
“The intentionality, hard work, and perseverance demonstrated by my mentee reminded me of the humility needed to excel in the fields of software development and engineering. I also learnt gratitude, through the honor of being able to contribute to the success of another.”
Pratik Karia
Engineering Group Manager, AIM
“It was incredibly motivating and satisfying to see my efforts lead to pivotal changes in my mentee’s career aspirations. In many ways, this program helps mentees build their confidence and belief in themselves.”
Meshach Jones
Software Engineer, AIM Compliance System
“I learnt the power of knowledge transfers & personal experience. You often take for granted the experiences you’ve lived through & the huge impact it can have on others through mentorship.”
Ranesh Uzoka
Senior Software Engineer, IOI
“HBCU engineering students are passionate about tech. They just need the right opportunity.”