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Daisy Magnus-Aryitey aisy Magnus-Aryitey’s career is a testament to the power of Code the Dream. She was an early student of the
Daisy says CTD sets itself apart with its dedicated and diverse staff as well as its unique apprenticeship program, Code the Dream Durham-based nonprofit – a pilot project of the Labs, which offers graduates the opportunity to apply for a fullnonprofit Uniting NC at the time – which offers free time, paid job working on real-world web and mobile development software development training to people from diverse projects that support nonprofit and small businesses that mirror and underrepresented backgrounds. The intensive nineCTD’s own mission to promote equity and digital access. month training led to her first tech job as a front-end “The work that we do is important, and I think our apprentice engineer at Duke University’s Office of Information developers feel the weight of that importance,” Daisy says. “When Technology in 2015. Daisy remained on CTD’s board they’re building tools to connect migrant farmworkers to resources and eventually returned as its director of partnerships. or tools to support children who are struggling to read, there’s a “I really wanted to give back to the organization significance to that.” that had given so much to me,” she says. In 2020, she Daisy’s commitment to equity in tech and education led her joined Dan Rearick as CTD’s co-founder and coto earn her master’s in educational innovation, technology and executive director to transform the organization into entrepreneurship from UNC’s School of Education in 2020. She is the stand-alone nonprofit it is today. also a volunteer on the technical education committee at the Emily K “We were thrilled when she came back Center and serves on the board of Justice Matters. to lead Code the Dream because not only Despite her many commitments, Daisy still finds was she brilliant, but she also knew firsthand time for her family and for herself. She and her many of the challenges our students face,” Dan says. husband, Dan Howarth, love to attend their 11-yearWhen a Daisy’s journey into the tech world was not a linear old son Luke Howarth’s basketball games and 15-yearstudent tells one. Her family moved to the United States from old daughter Lena Howarth’s high school band me they got Accra, Ghana, when she was 4 and, coming from an performances. If she gets a little bit of free time, Daisy a job, I’m so immigrant background, she says, “there’s very narrowly likes to unwind in the aisles of Mode Consignment happy for defined paths to success,” like through learning Boutique or the Durham Rescue Mission Thrift Store. them, because medicine or law. In her 20s, Daisy put her law degree Although her 20-something self would be surprised I know that on hold to help raise her young family. She sought by her life now, Daisy knows that she would also feel this is just to reenter the workforce in her 30s, but her resume proud. She still remembers the joy of landing her first the start. gap proved a major barrier, and traditional continued job after completing CTD. education was not financially feasible. “I could tell people, “I work at Duke, I’m a software Then, one line at the bottom of an email chain changed everything. developer,’” she says. “You just carry yourself differently. It impacted It advertised CTD’s pilot coding classes for young people from my life, it impacted my children’s lives. It was like suddenly a immigrant backgrounds. At 32, Daisy wasn’t sure if she qualified, but different path opened for me and my family.” she emailed anyway. Daisy recalls asking the organization to give her a Daisy was named “Tech Difference Maker of the Year” at last chance and promising to give it her all. She was swiftly enrolled. year’s NC TECH Awards and continues to devote herself to She was surprised by how much she enjoyed coding. Learning ensuring others can find the same personal fulfillment and access to occurred through hands-on experimentation and collaboration with opportunities she gained through CTD. classmates rather than through rote memorization. “When a student tells me they got a job, I’m so happy for them because “It felt welcoming and friendly, without the burden of having to I know that this is just the start,” she says. “So many doors are going be the best or having to get the top grade to succeed,” she says. “We to open to them that were closed before. That is always my ‘worth it’ all rise together.” moment. That is what we’re always working toward.” – by Emily Davis
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