The Room Gains Value by Having You in It: A NAF Senior’s Experience at Lenovo’s Headquarters

NAF AOIT senior from Cox Mill High School in Concord, NC, Ira S., recently attended a special event that celebrated the next generation in tech, presented by long-standing NAF partner, Lenovo! This yearly gathering gets students excited about STEM and gives them the opportunity to network with leaders in the industry.

More than 200 students took over Lenovo’s headquarters for a day filled with hands-on tech workshops, inspiring mentorship, and career-building connections. From coding to design thinking, these future leaders explored endless possibilities in tech.

For more on Ira’s journey in tech; the experience at Lenovo’s headquarters; and her future aspirations, check out the below:

Q: What first got you interested in your NAF Academy of Information Technology?

A: My interest in IT began when I took my first coding class freshman year, Intro to Computer Science, and it taught me about the idea behind programming through simple block coding. My favorite project was engineering a physical animal from cardboard, plastic, and other scrap material. We then coded a Micro Bit to display different faces on the animal creation. This showed me how coding and physical products could be mixed and how they and work together.

Some of my favorite classes I took through my NAF academy are Python 1 and 2. These classes taught me a coding language that is applicable in real-world industries and enabled me to create projects that can be used in different sectors. Examples include a menu code for a restaurant or a sign up for an amusement park. Using various methods in object-oriented programming, such as modules, packages, and encapsulation, I learned to solve problems in a unique way.

Q: What was the most exciting part about meeting professionals in the industry this month at Lenovo and what did you learn from them? Any specific advice that you received?

A: The most exciting part about meeting professionals was understanding more about what each person does within the company and the impact they have on Lenovo as a whole. Whether it’s a product manager, HR professional, an engineer, or a product tester, everyone plays a vital part. One piece of advice that everyone offered was that “It is important to carry yourself with confidence and believe that the room gains value by having you in it.”

Q: How did you prepare to network with professionals from Lenovo and did it help build Future Ready Skills, such as collaboration, communication, problem solving, self-direction, etc.?

A: I prepared to network with professionals from Lenovo, by preparing sample questions about their job, how they network, and how they collaborate with others. As an almost freshman in college, I also asked about their academic majors and journeys that led them to working at Lenovo. By offering these questions, I witnessed how they use Future Ready Skills in their everyday life. For example, the engineers showed us the motherboards that go in the computers and spoke on the different hardware, software, and engineering collaboration that makes it all possible. And through talking to an HR recruiter, I saw how majoring in English can still lead to a job at Lenovo with proper direction and purpose. I will take these skills with me and hopefully apply them to my own life soon!

Q: Did this experience provide any inspiration on the career path that you’d like to pursue in the future?

A: This experience provided me with inspiration that there are many opportunities within tech companies. One of the speakers mentioned a shocking statistic that 43% of jobs are non-tech within tech companies. As someone who wants to work for a large tech company, but isn’t sure which field, this was very reassuring to hear. Now I can research more roles beyond just engineering, to see what best fits my skills.

Q: What did you learn about yourself through this process?

A: Through speaking with employees and volunteers, I learned that there is no set path to pursuing a job in a tech company. This demonstrated to me that it is important to leave room for flexibility and to do what is enjoyable, because many big tech companies like Lenovo are looking for unique perspectives from their employees.

Q: Any plans for college/career that you’d like to share?

A: I plan to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill next year. I hope to double major in Data Science and Business and maybe minor in Entrepreneurship! I am very excited for this new chapter of my life and after meeting Lenovo professionals, I am also excited for post-grad life and finding a job where I can find joy and use my unique skills and insights.