Q&A with Bryan: From SMASH Scholar to Software developer

As SMASH celebrates its 25th anniversary, we are highlighting stories that show what opportunity in STEM can unlock. Bryan joined SMASH as a high school scholar near Boston. Today he is studying computer science at Boston University and already working as a software engineer at Lirvana Labs while still in college.

In this conversation, Bryan reflects on growing up in a close community, discovering coding for the first time, and how SMASH helped him see a path forward in tech.

Can you take us back to when you first joined SMASH? What did your world look like at that point?

I grew up in Chelsea, which is like fifteen minutes away from Boston. Chelsea is a predominantly Hispanic community, so a lot of the people I grew up with were Central American. There was a lot of diversity that I grew up with, and I really appreciate that now.

I went to a small charter school where you go there for middle school and then you transition into their high school. You are with the same people all the time. I liked that sense of community and knowing everybody’s face.

When I got into high school it suddenly started to feel more serious. Teachers start talking about grades and college and what you are going to do next.

That is when I started thinking about how I could set myself up. I did some research and talked with my counselors, and that is when they told me about SMASH.

SMASH was my way of making sure I take the first steps to leading the path I want to go on.

What kind of work did your parents do growing up?

My parents immigrated here from El Salvador. My dad came first in the early 2000s and then my mom came.

When they both got here they were just trying to find work fast. They worked at a small restaurant where they washed dishes and did whatever they could. My mom even waited tables there.

Later on my dad got into the moving industry and stayed in that field for a while. My mom moved into elderly care and helping take care of people.

I realized pretty early that I did not really have anybody in tech around me. A lot of my family members went into the moving industry like my dad or other types of work like what my mom does.

When did you first discover computer science?

My first computer science class was in sixth grade. It was with Scratch. Scratch is a block based programming website where you can put blocks together and move a little sprite around the screen.

I just found it so cool that something I was building in real time was actually moving the way I wanted to. That felt empowering. Through Scratch that was my first taste of wow, I can build whatever I want.

I remember going home and showing my parents what I built. I was so excited about it.

Before SMASH, did a career in tech feel realistic?

Before SMASH I did not know anything about tech.

I did not know what it could even look like. I remember talking to my parents about it and they said they did not really know what that might look like either.

I did not really have anybody to talk to about it. I did not know how to ask those questions. Before SMASH I did not even know what a tech role looked like or how you even get started taking steps toward one.

What did it feel like when you first arrived at SMASH?

I remember going to SMASH and meeting everyone in the cohort.

For the first time it felt so cool to have so many people that looked like me and had the same backgrounds as me pursuing the same career.

I remember meeting so many people who were into tech and wanted to go into tech. It felt like wow, all of us are going to do this together. That gave me a lot of motivation to keep going.

How did SMASH prepare you for college?

Personally it was the community. Having people around you who share the same goals makes a big difference.

Academically there were great classes and a lot of support. There were workshops about college essays and figuring out what story really resonates with you.

I also had mentors. It is hard to find a mentor at that age who you feel comfortable talking to. Having someone who had already gone through the college experience and could talk with you about it was really helpful.

You mentioned an activity where students were asked to draw a scientist. What stuck with you about that?

Everyone in the room was asked to draw a scientist.

When we shared the drawings we realized a lot of them looked the same. It was usually an older white man in a lab coat. The person running the activity asked us why it was not us.

That really stuck with me. My college essay ended up talking about that moment and why I did not draw myself.

I wrote that the next time someone asks students to draw a scientist, I hope they draw themselves instead.

Was there a moment when you realized you belonged in tech?

I think about that activity a lot. When you are studying late at night or working really hard you have to go back and think about your why.

Giving yourself that why gives you the motivation to keep going.

For me it goes back to wanting to be a role model and wanting to show that people like me can do this.

You are already working as a software developer while still in college. How did that happen?

I started working with the company making games. It reminded me of the class where I first learned Scratch.

At first it was part time work while I was in school. Then summer came around and I built good relationships with the team.

They gave me the opportunity to try being a software developer for the summer as an internship. I learned so much working with the senior engineers.

Hands on experience is just so valuable. You learn things about the industry that no class can really teach you. Eventually they asked if I wanted to keep working part time while I was still in school.

Now I work as a software developer at Lirvana Labs while studying computer science at Boston University.

What does that opportunity mean for you personally?

Before this job I was working at a bar while going to school. Those shifts would go from four in the afternoon until two in the morning. Then I would wake up the next day and go to class.

Now I can work remotely in the field that I am studying. I can work and then go straight to the library or class.

It has made a huge difference.

How has this journey impacted your family?

Something that means a lot to me is seeing how my younger cousins react.

They see the games I work on and they want to try them. They ask me how I built it and how it works. Now that I am in this industry I can give them tips and show them how things work.

They do not have to look outside their circle to find someone who can help them.

I am already here. That is something I wish I had when I was younger.

Looking back, what role did SMASH play in your journey?

SMASH helped me take the first steps.

From the beginning they were there helping me figure out how to move forward.

Being part of that community helped me get to where I am today.