By Lisa Obradovich
One year after graduating from NetHope Academy, I am the assistant for Inveneo’s Haiti Connected Cities Program. The Haiti Connected Cities Program is part of Inveneo’s initiative to bring economic and education opportunities to Haiti. We have been building out rural infrastructure and networks to give reliable and affordable broadband access in rural areas. My job is to assist network deployments and monitoring as well as performing administrative tasks that involve expenses, scheduling and inventory.
I had my start with Inveneo because I met Rohan Mahy at my NetHope Academy graduation. He told me he was really impressed with the speech I gave during the ceremony and asked if I would like to be interviewed for a job. I agreed. The interview went very well; I had the required IT skills thanks to my training at NetHope Academy, and I was able to use the interviewing tactics I learned to be confident and accurate.
I’m so happy for the new graduates that have had the opportunity to receive the same training and experience from NetHope Academy that I did. This program launched my career, and I am happy it continues to help others start their IT careers.
At Inveneo, I work with a team of five engineers and one driver. We are like a family, supporting and helping each other. I also keep in contact with my NetHope Academy colleagues. A few months ago I had a problem fixing a computer, and I was able to contact one of them for support.
My favorite part of my job is connecting clients to the one thing they want very badly and could not have before: The internet. My experiences make me want to stay in Haiti long-term. I want to live here forever and continue taking online courses to further my development as an IT professional.
NetHope Academy encouraged me to be courageous and determined and to make sure to learn more and more every day. I know it has helped me get the job I have today. I look forward to seeing new NetHope Academy interns making the most out of this program and making a strong foundation for their future IT jobs.
