November 8, 2019 | IGNITE Panel at Aki Kurose Middle School | by Stuart Chernis
On Friday, Nov. 8, Aditi Saluja, Senior Data Scientist at T-Mobile, and Charmaine Manganello, Reporting & Data Analyst at Brooks Running, visited Aki Kurose Middle School as part of an IGNITE event. They spoke with 38 students in two Computer Science classes, where they shared their experiences growing up in the Philippines and India and immigrating to the United States. Charmaine helped the students understand how fortunate they are to have access to public education, which is not available to everyone in the Philippines. Aditi shared that in India she couldn’t be involved in sports or other after school activities; studying was the main priority.
Both women also spoke about their careers and what they do in their jobs. They stressed the importance of believing in themselves and never giving up on their dreams. It takes hard work but is worth it!
The students got a chance to ask questions and wanted to know more about T-Mobile’s sponsorship of T-Mobile Park and STEM related to shoe manufacturing and design. Both speakers were very gracious with their time and sharing their experiences. The students left with a better understanding of STEM possibilities in different industries and were inspired to work hard and take advantage of opportunities!
Thank you to Charmaine Manganello and Aditi Saluja for spending time with Aki Kurose and encouraging and inspiring our students!