Akida Harris

Akida Harris graduated from Per Scholas in July 2021 with her Google IT certification, an accomplishment she didn’t see on her career path until the pandemic left her wondering what her next professional steps would be and she lost her job.  On the heels of the pandemic, Akida started to research different certifications and training she could get to further her career in a time where universities were closed and she knew she needed to further her experience in an opportunistic industry. She found Per Scholas and realized that we offered cost-free tech training and applied.  Previously in the biotech industry, Akida found that there was not much more room for growth with her experience, so she knew that moving into the tech industry would be beneficial.  

Throughout her training, Akida found the material and courseload to be challenging but was persistent in her learning because of the support she found in her instructors and colleagues.  “I said I’m not going to give up,” she reflected.  “Even though it was a little challenging, I overcame that and I was able to finish and graduate because of the instructors and classmates that gave me a lot of encouragement.” Additionally, Akida felt like not just the technical training would set her up for success in the tech field, but the professional development segments of training would prepare her as well.  Hearing from past Per Scholas graduates further motivated her to keep pushing forward for a career in tech as she stated, “with all the different speakers that came in and talked about where they are now, I felt like wow – that can be me!”

Now graduated with her Google IT certification, Akida works at NCR Corporation as a Customer Engineer and is excited for the trajectory of her tech career following her experience at Per Scholas.  “I’m very happy with what I am making and doing now because I don’t think I would have been able to make it if I didn’t graduate and have that certificate from Per Scholas,” Akida noted.  “In the future, I can see my salary and experience growing rapidly if I were to advance.”