Meet our Founder
Omari Edwards
Chairman and CEO
Omari Edwards is a technology entrepreneur, youth advocate, and a mentor in the tech startup community. Recognizing both the greater economic need to increase the technology knowledge-base in our youth and the lack of diversity & inclusion in STEM professionally, he went on to host a series of tech learning events that eventually led to the creation of the Technology for {You}th program. Though the program has now grown in size and scope, the mission remains the same - to offer a sustainable model that encompasses technology for all youth via opportunities that young learners take advantage of to build mastery in the areas of problem solving, creativity, logical reasoning, critical thinking, and coding.
In addition to Technology for {You}th, Omari is also the founder of Beak (a software platform offering micro-analytics for content sharing), the co-founder of AccessDGTL (a software platform that makes offering free Wi-Fi sustainable for businesses and municipalities), a board member at Mouse (one of the nation's leading technology proficiency non-profits), and a member of the NationSwell Council (a membership community of service-minded leaders). Omari has a B.S. in Mathematics and Computer Science from Morehouse College and an M.S. in Systems Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. When Omari is not busy working on/with tech startups or teaching STEM to children, he enjoys spending time with his wife and 2 children.
Meet our Board
Kerry-Ann Edwards
Finance and Operations
Kerry-Ann Poyser Edwards has been a Financial Professional for 18 years. She has worked with numerous organizations over the past two decades advocating for youth education including Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, Management Leadership for Tomorrow, Junior Achievement and Inroads. She is a Trustee of the New York Foundation, serving on its Executive, Investment and Trustees committees. And a member of Jack and Jill Inc, Greater Essex County Chapter where she has served as Age Group Chair and most recently Corresponding Secretary and a member of its Executive Board. She also serves on the Newark Academy Parent Association Board as Assistant Treasurer. In her free time she enjoys writing and spending time with her husband and two children.
Daniel Kinch
Strategy and Business Development
Daniel Kinch is a serial entrepreneur with a decade and a half of experience in the for profit and non-profit educational sector. He’s created, launched, and deployed innovative training programs. His main focus is the underserved and underrepresented population throughout the United States. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Obama's Administration's Job Training Program in 2010, with a mission to assist the underemployed and formerly incarcerated with sustainable skill sets.
He’s deeply committed to educational equity and the inherent potential of students of all ages; he believes that education is the great equalizer. Daniel has a long track record of successfully introducing post secondary students to careers in IT, Healthcare, Science, and Engineering. Daniel earned his B.S in Business Administration with a Concentration in Marketing from Morris Brown College and Master in Education from Springfield College. He is currently a board member of Hartford Community That Cares and enjoys his free time with his wife and two daughters.
Meet our Instructors
Wilbert Chagula
Machine Learning & Computer Science
“While growing up, opportunities in STEM were not accessible. I’d like to change the narrative of STEM and I feel as though that starts with kids!”
As a Computer Science major, I use programming often with programs like Python to help me analyze data. Using the skills I learned from Java and Python also helped me in learning statistics-based programs like R. Video games were also a huge part of what got me into programming. What kid with a Gameboy didn’t want to know how it worked? In my free time, I love both playing and tinkering with video games. But that interest in video games also sparked my curiosity about how ai and NPCs work in video games. So Machine learning became a big interest of mine.
Abel Kuriakose
Information Technology
“I love STEM and realized throughout my time at TFY, that I love to teach it as well. It is a rewarding feeling seeing your student grasp the concept.”
I also love building computers and getting hands-on with hardware. I have expertise in various programming languages such as HTML, Java, JavaScript, C++, Objective C, and Objective C app development. I also love to game and part of the reason I learned to build PCs is because of gaming and it sparked my interest in programming and modding and installing and configuring programs.
Frank Drakeford
Robotics & Interactive Design
“My goal is to help children realize the possibilities throughout STEM!”
I competed as a part of two different FIRST Tech Challenge teams and a FIRST Robotics Competition robotics team. The competitions were hosted by FIRST and provided numerous games and puzzles to be solved by the machine that the team would make. Having a team working together towards a goal like that proved to make all of us strive to be better and sparked numerous competitive games amongst us as well. I try to incorporate this in my teachings as well as I encourage my students to develop friendly rivalries because it pushes them both to push the other as much as themselves.
Brandon Lin
Statistics & Computer Science
“I strive to help the next generation of programmers.”
As a Statistics major, I often used programs like Python to help me analyze data. Using those skills I've obtained from Java and Python also helped me in learning for statistic-based programs like R. Video games were also a huge part of why I am so intrigued. What kid with a Gameboy didn’t want to know how it worked?
Oluwadamilare Ajayi
Computer Science
“I have always loved STEM since high school, based on that passion and my skill set I decided to further that passion with teaching kids!”
I’m interested in the concept of building computer-related systems and learning how they work. I used to be the kid that would successfully attempt to fix damaged iPhones in high school; I got good at doing so. I am also willing to improve my knowledge when it comes to building hardware or creating software that makes better hardware. For example, building a drone that tracks and dodges obstacles.
Naimah Aldridge
Information Science
“I love cultivating an interest in programming amongst children and showing them their endless potential in STEM!”
I still remember the feeling of satisfaction I felt, the first time I coded a functional program in high school. Through TFY, I’ve been able to pass that feeling on to kids and it’s been an incredibly rewarding experience. I first gained an interest in teaching kids how to code in my first year at college, and since then, it’s become a passion of mine that I hope to continue for a long time.