Deja Craft

Deja Craft graduated this year from Per Scholas Atlanta’s Software Engineering course. She was born in New Orleans, but was forced to flee with her family at age 8 when Hurricane Katrina struck. They arrived in Atlanta with just the clothes on their backs, as Deja recalled, “not even an extra pair of socks!”

Deja got her associates degree in business and economics and started working as an EMT. She had always loved  programming, coding, and technology and dreamed of working in tech, but she did not believe she had what it took to succeed in the tech field. 

Deja’s mother knew how important tech was to Deja and, after coming across Per Scholas, she encouraged Deja to apply in order to pursue her passion in the field.

Although Deja initially doubted herself, she excelled in the program and graduated with one of the highest grades in the cohort. Since graduating, she has been featured in 3 different magazines highlighting her journey into the tech field. She has been nominated for a 40 Under 40 award, is pursuing a degree in computer science and mathematics, and works full time as a Computer Systems Engineer, earning significantly more than any previous position she held. 

“Per Scholas has completely changed my entire life,” Deja reflected. “That little 8-year-old girl who was at one point homeless is now breaking barriers in the tech industry. It’s something that is unbelievable to me…I have to give all the grace to Per Scholas for this because I did not have the confidence in myself; I didn’t even think it was possible for someone that looked like me to get into tech.”

In the future, Deja would like to become more involved in initiatives that help other minority individuals and people with backgrounds similar to her own succeed in the tech world. “I think the first step to doing that is making sure people know about Per Scholas and the opportunities they offer,” Deja said.