Marisa

Takes on the internship world

[miamimarisa-blog]

#OoohGrillEm

From the first day I arrived at Wyncode I have been working with the alumni of the program.  Considering this program is just a year old, creating alumni events was a relatively new idea, but an increasingly more important one.  I was excited to begin working with Walter to create the first ever alumni BBQ, which took place this past Saturday.  While I know BBQ’s aren’t necessarily the most extravagant events to organize, I had never planned one, making it a challenge. 

I learned a ton throughout all of the planning and organizing and can sum up the top three things I learned in three easy steps.  

1.  I learned how to organize and send out flyers.  It may sound easy, but I learned a lot from this step.  First we had to confirm all of the logistics like the date and our location (the beautiful Oleta River State Park).  Then we had to create a theme or hook to draw in alumni.  Considering we are a part of the technology movement, we went with a fun and light-hearted #OoohGrillEm.  Then I reached out to Wyncode’s marketing team to create an amusing and attracting flyer that was sent out to alumni and current students.  

Negatives: RSVPs! Next time when I email the alumni and students about an event, or maybe on the newsletter itself, request an RSVP on whether they’re attending and if so about how many.  It was a little nerve-wrecking going into the BBQ unsure of the rough estimate of people coming, and I know these nerves would have been more at ease if I had done an RSVP.  

Positives: What a beautiful flyer!

What a beautiful flyer!

2.  I learned how important time-management is.  The day of the BBQ, we went to purchase all of the food.  I was very lucky to have three amazing friends come with me, and my partner-in-crime Walter.  With a very well planned-out list of food and BBQ items needed, we were able to split up into three groups and get everything in under 45 minutes.  This may be a more light-hearted example, but being able to maximize your time is necessary for all startups.

Negatives: None!

Positives: Costco.  Costco was cost-efficient, and really allowed us to get everything we needed from hamburgers and hotdogs, to vegetarian options and grilling items.  It saved us time and money!

3. Finally I learned to just have fun and enjoy the event! This event was four weeks in the making, and involved persistent communication with alumni and current students.  Due to it being the very first big alumni event, it was vital that this set a precedent for all future alumni events, and make them feel like can’t-miss events.  I could barely sleep the night before in fear that no one would attend, or there wouldn’t be enough food.  Thankfully, it went GREAT! Countless alumni came with their families and friends and were  able to reconnect with their fellow Wyncoders.  Alumni and current students interacted while playing ultimate frisbee and enjoying some great food.  I had an absolute blast! 

Negatives: Balloons.  The idea itself was fantastic.  Large balloons, about the size of me, that spell out Wyncode.  They had been purchased, blown up, and were ready to go; however, upon arrival to the park one letter detached from the string and flew up into space.  And to make matters worse, it was the “C” making the new name of the company WYNCOE.  A little rain caused the W to wither into nothing, making it YNCOE.  We all laughed and moved on, but definitely lesson learned.  No huge expensive balloons at an outdoor event!

Walter carrying all 7 enormous balloons.

There goes the C!

WYNCOE

Positives: Enough food, countless alumni, and a great time! Definitely a successful alumni BBQ and just the start to all future alumni events.  

[miamimarisa-blog]

TEAM

This week further affirmed one of my beliefs about startups.  A startup’s success or failure is largely dependent on the people surrounding you.  

Are they as passionate about the company’s vision and goal?

Are they driven to reach success?

Are they willing to share ideas and accept feedback?

With a great team, problems can have multiple solutions and ideas can consistently grow and improve.  Wyncode’s team is driven, focused, and work tirelessly to strengthen and expand the company in every which way possible.  I evidently love puns and an element of corniness so here is a wonderful anagram as to why I believe Wyncode’s team is successful!

Tenacity

Encouraging

Adaptability

Magnetic

Tenacity is the ability to firmly grip something.  Whether it’s gripping new ideas, concepts, or tasks, tenacity is tremendously important for a startup team.  It requires persistence, diligence and often a serious element of stubborness to fail.  Wyncode’s team absolutely shows this.  They are determined to teach students coding, to prepare them for a career as a developer, and to help them reach their goals.  They display grit when they are faced with problems, and eagerness to not only find solutions but to create them.  The stamina and pure tenacity of this team is unassailable.  

The action of giving someone support, confidence, or hope is encouragement. For someone to encourage others, they must be passionate and willing to share that passion with others.  This team not only encourages their students and colleagues through their words, but often display even more through their actions.  From high fives to the never-ending smiles, they continues to inspire, motivate, and revitalize everyone.  Not only does encouragement make the actual school and students more successful, but it rallies the team and strengthens everyone’s belief in the company.  

Being able to adjust to new conditions is the quality of adaptability.  There’s always so much going on in Wyncode and startups in general, so having the ability to make adjustments while keeping the pace up is HUGE.  While the team is completely encouraging and willing to help anytime someone needs, they aim to solve most problems before they ask about them.  They use their resources and capabilities to just figure it out.  A great example of this was the other day when a problem came up with a website (it might be called something else- still picking up the lingo!) that they were using for student’s homework.  Something had made the site disappear, completely throwing everyone off. Instead of sitting there and frowning about it, two of the team members Walter and Gabe, jumped in and created their own solution. Within minutes, homework was back up and the problem was completely solved. They were efficient and made adjustments quickly and quietly.  

The word magnetic certainly is not a word I would have used prior to working at Wyncode.  To be magnetic means you have great power to attract and hold the interest of other people.  Not only do I consider it huge in having a team that works well together, but it is a huge reason why Wyncode stands out among other coding schools and tech companies. Wyncode’s team is charming and charismatic, reeling you into their vision immediately.  Their dedication to the company is truly captivating, as are their drive to make their current student’s and alumni successful.  There is absolutely no wonder why Wyncode has already expanded to another city in their first year, and have the ability to expand even more in the upcoming years.

What an amazing team to work with!

Walter and Diego striking a pose!

Some more of the amazing team! Still missing a few but here is Sally, Johanna (Co-Founder), Mario, Gabe, Juliana, and ME! 

[miamimarisa-blog]

Wynvironment

Sorry, I love puns.  Prior to working with Wyncode, I had a firm belief that to create a successful start up, you needed strong leaders who encompass entrepreneurial qualities and an idea, and an astute and resourceful team that believes in the idea.  While these are absolutely necessary, I have learned the significance of something else I now believe is equally as important for a successful startup.  The environment.

The word environment is defined as the surroundings or conditions in which a person lives or operates.  This comes down to the location and climate of a person, or in this case, Wyncode.  

Location

Wyncode is located in the LAB Miami, which in the Wynwood Arts District.  For those of you that have never heard of the LAB, it is a creative and collaborative work space with countless entrepreneurs, innovators, and forward-thinkers.  Most work is done in a large open space where you can see people working relentlessly behind their computers, collaborating and bouncing from table to table to network and improve their ideas, and otherwise sipping some deliciously free coffee and organic energy drinks.  

In my short time here I have met multiple entrepreneurs, (many of which are Wyncode alum!), shared and improved my own ideas, and learned an untold number of new skills.  It is the PERFECT location for a startup company.  

Climate

The climate of an environment comes down to the atmosphere and lightly-put, the feeling you get when you’re in it.  As an educator, we know all too well how important a positive climate is in our classroom and school in order to motivate our kids and reach our goals; however, I had not realized the significance of the atmosphere in a startup company.  

From the moment I entered into the LAB Miami and Wyncode Academy, the feeling I sensed was very easy to describe.  It was, and continues to be, positive, stimulating, and electric.  In all honesty, I’m not sure if I have ever seen the founders Juha or Johanna frown, or anyone that works for Wyncode for that matter.  If someone is confused or needs help with anything, another will happily jump in and give some guidance.  The positive climate is truly unparalleled to anywhere I have ever experienced.  

Working in the LAB, in this unceasingly positive atmosphere, adds yet another piece to this big puzzle of what makes a startup company successful: a strategic, positive, and encouraging environment!

#Wyncode #TeachforAmerica #Startups

[miamimarisa-blog]

The start to my Wynternship

Excuse the pun.  I spent this past year working at an elementary school in Liberty City, and am now spending my summer working an internship with a coding school, Wyncode.  

This photo shows just one of the countless pieces of amazing art I get to see every day!

The best words to describe my first week at Wyncode are happy and lost.  I was a happy intern who was both new and lost to all of the Start-Up jargon, coding lingo and just about everything my new colleagues discussed.  Even working on a google spreadsheet was new to me.  Despite my struggles and inexperience, my team has been and continues to be so willing to help me, even though their daily To-Do lists probably exceed my entire summer itinerary. This team has taught me the importance of a positive culture, because in my time here, I have not felt a single ounce of negative energy.  In developing my own leadership, this is one of the most important things I have taken away.  

I have only been at Wyncode for seven days now and can proudly say my confidence and knowledge grows each minute of the day.  I feel confident in saying that I have finally learned how to create and work a google spreadsheet, function the teams’ main form of communication “HipChat”, and increase involvement among alumni (at least a few alumni that is).  I am learning how to organize an event, an alumni BBQ to be specific, and what that entails, and finally feel comfortable working with the Wyncode alumni on a daily basis.  I have helped to create and cement ideas for (hopefully!) a future mentoring program to help current students and encourage future involvement among alumni.  Myself and Sally, my fellow Wyncode intern, are beginning to work on creating daily and weekly learning objectives for each lecture and although I’m still trying to wrap my head around how to do it, I’m excited to figure it out! And how could I forget- I finally learned how to create a blog.  Although Tumblr makes it pretty straight forward, it took me a few minutes of staring at my computer to fully grasp it but I finally got it. :)

I am so incredibly excited to see what each day has in store for me, whether it means developing new skills, meeting and networking with new people (who are doing amazing things), or creating a successful alumni BBQ.  

Wyncode is completely out of my comfort zone, which is exactly where I needed to be this summer.  I cannot wait to see what’s in store for the next few weeks!

-Marisa

[miamimarisa-blog]

"All I want is an education and I’m afraid of no one.”

The activist, nobel peace prize winner, and young girl Malala Yousafzai bravely made this statement.  As I read her story “I Am Malala” this summer, it inspires me to push into unknown territories, learn as much as possible, and do what I can to make a difference.