OUTLOOK | IN THE COMMUNITY
CODING FOR THE COMMUNITY
CodeStack Academy students build real-world job skills on projects to benefit the community On an afternoon in September, the San Joaquin County Office of Education (SJCOE) was part of a team of volunteers, outreach workers, and other partners in the community giving out sandwiches, snacks, gift cards, and water at a homeless encampment in the dry Mormon Slough in Stockton. In addition to supporting the outreach, the SJCOE’s CodeStack department team was there to pilot a new mobile application called Project Homebound. It was designed to collect real-time data while conducting surveys of the county’s homeless population. “It’s really good to see this app being used. When you go out and talk to people who are homeless, you see how critical this information is to capture,” CodeStack Director Johnny Arguelles said. “We can do that electronically and get important data that can lead to policies and decisions that can improve their quality of life.” The app was created by students at CodeStack Academy, Stockton’s first accelerated, immersive coding school. During the pilot program, the app is continuing to be developed and fine-tuned
with the CodeStack department’s experienced software developers and former Academy students in the CodeStack internship program.
Joseph Racca, part of a team of students who worked on the site to make it more engaging and accessible to the public.
CodeStack Academy focuses on preparing its students to get the skills they need to land technology jobs that are in high demand. The Academy’s project-based learning and twomonth internships allow students to hone those real-world skills while building up their portfolios.
CodeStack Academy students are part of the team working on the new San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office website, too. And students were also a part of the Stockton Mayor Kevin Lincoln’s website.
At the same time, students are doing work important to the community, like the Project Homebound app. CodeStack Academy students also built the new website for HealthForce Partners of Northern San Joaquin Valley, a partnership of healthcare employers, educators, workforce developers, and community leaders working together to grow the qualified healthcare workforce in San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Merced counties. “I felt fortunate to work directly with HealthForce Partners. It was an opportunity to not only build on top of our web development experience but also to provide a tool and resource for the community,” said CodeStack alumnus
“This was an amazing experience, and I am grateful for the opportunity to learn more about what I love to do and impact the community, even just a little bit,” said Christy Eang, an alum who worked on the site. “I chose CodeStack to create the Stockton Mayor website for several reasons. The quality of work they produce is top notch, the students are local (with many from Stockton), and having the opportunity to say ‘I made the Stockton Mayor website’ gives the students something to be proud of,” Lincoln said, noting that Arguelles is also the chair of his Stockton Tech Advisory Council (STAC). “So, CodeStack is positively impacting our city in many ways.”
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