From Failure to Launch

In this episode of From Failure to Launch, Leo Huynh, Code2College Software Engineering Intern at Cirrus Logic, shares how his curiosity for computer science—and passion for building personal game projects—evolved into real-world impact. Joined by his manager, Will O’Donnell, Senior Staff Validation Engineer at Cirrus Logic, they reflect on Leo’s journey from exploring tech to developing an AI-dri...

In this episode of From Failure to Launch, Jooheon Lee, Electrical Engineering student at Rice University and H-E-B intern, shares his experience taking a project from concept to deployment. Joined by his mentor, Engineering Manager Michael Regert, they dive into the challenges, learning moments, and teamwork that turn uncertainty into mastery. Jooheon reflects on how guidance from mentors, collab...

In this episode of From Failure to Launch, Ashrita Mahadevu shares how her journey with Code2College helped transform an early passion for STEM into real-world experience as a Data Engineering Intern at H-E-B. Joined by her mentor Blake Byerly, the conversation explores how internships can shape confidence, technical skills, and career direction. Ashrita talks about overcoming nerves, meeting expe...

In this episode of From Failure to Launch, Bereket Laki shares how his first internship at Texas Mutual became an opportunity to build real-world solutions, including developing an AI chatbot trained on internal company knowledge. Joined by his supervisor, Jason Chan, the conversation dives into what makes interns thrive: ownership, curiosity, and the confidence to ask good questions. Jason explai...

In Season 3, Episode 6 of From Failure to Launch, host Keira Johnson sits down with Alexandra Hoffpauir, Data Warehouse and Marketing Technology Manager at YETI, and Code2College intern Dagem Abraham. Together, they unpack what it truly means to own a project, not just complete assigned tasks. Dagem shares how sourcing data, collaborating across multiple teams, and ultimately building his own proj...

In Season 3, Episode 5 of From Failure to Launch, host Keira Johnson sits down with Code2College intern Krish Patel and his summer manager Mark Berry, Director of Cybersecurity at Crosslake Technologies. They reflect on a summer that exceeded expectations for everyone involved. Krish shares how the internship sparked a genuine interest in cybersecurity and reshaped his career goals, while Mark hig...

In Season 3, Episode 4 of From Failure to Launch, host Keira Johnson sits down with Code2College intern Jawaad Merali and his summer manager, Mark Berry, Director of Cybersecurity at Crosslake Technologies. Together, they share how a summer of rapid learning, hands-on projects, and strong mentorship helped Jawaad, now a college freshman, grow confidently into the world of cybersecurity. Jawaad des...

In this episode of From Failure to Launch, host Keira Johnson sits down with Veda Rabishankar, a Code2College high school summer intern who worked in IT Digital Communications at Texas Mutual, and her summer manager, Mike Vuong, Senior Engineering Manager at Texas Mutual. Together, they explore Veda’s journey from classroom programming to contributing to real-world projects, what it’s like applyin...

In this episode of From Failure to Launch, host Keira Johnson sits down with Olivia Cruz, a Code2College high school summer intern at YETI, and Chris Chafin, Web Developer II at YETI and Olivia’s summer manager. Together, they share what it’s like navigating new environments, building confidence, and learning through real-world projects. They dive into what makes great mentorship, how to grow beyo...

Season 3 of From Failure to Launch kicks off with a special spotlight on our summer interns! In this episode, host Keira sits down with high school intern Zephan Ofori, who just completed his Code2College internship at Indeed, along with his summer manager Laurie. Together, they reflect on the projects they tackled, the lessons learned along the way, and how programs like Code2College open doors f...

When Allegra Armas graduated from college, she didn’t have a clear path forward—and she felt like she was already falling behind. But over the past decade, she’s carved out a career rooted in community impact, from connecting fans through sports at the Oakland A’s to driving social impact initiatives at Roku. In this episode, Keira and Allegra talk about the messy reality of navigating those first...

In this episode of From Failure to Launch, host Keira sits down with Kerry Rupp, General Partner at True Wealth Ventures and one of only two women GPs in a venture capital fund in Texas. Kerry’s career path has been anything but linear — from consulting at Accenture and McKinsey, to joining (and leading) multiple startups, to serving as CEO of DreamIt, a Top Ten US accelerator and VC fund. Along t...

In this powerful “From Failure to Launch” episode, host Keira sits down with Monica Grant Cohen, whose journey from a low-income, single-parent household to becoming a leader in philanthropy is nothing short of inspiring. As the eldest daughter who lost her father at age six, Monica shares how her mother’s unwavering strength shaped her—and why she honored her mom by adding her mother’s middle nam...

In this episode of From Failure to Launch, host Keira sits down with Cameryn Burnette — a PhD candidate at MIT in Material Science for Sustainable Development, Howard University alumna, Schwarzman Scholar, and Special Projects Manager at Energicity. Cameryn opens up about the moments that shaped her: from growing up amidst environmental disasters that ignited her passion for sustainability, to fee...

In this episode of From Failure to Launch, host Keira sits down with Keelee Moseley, MBA — a software engineer, educator, and mission-driven problem solver whose career has taken her from Pitts, Pennsylvania, all the way to NASA and beyond. Keelee opens up about starting off at Penn State with dreams of becoming a computer engineer, only to realize that her superpower wasn’t coding—it was curiosit...

In this episode of From Failure to Launch, Keira sits down with Gabriela Rocha, cofounder of Laboratoria, to explore her winding journey across continents, languages, and industries — and how she’s helping reshape the future of tech for women across Latin America. From growing up in Brazil and Los Angeles to co-founding a movement that empowers women from underserved communities to launch tech car...

In this inspiring episode of From Failure to Launch, host Keira sits down with her own manager, Staci Brookover, a Project Manager at YETI, whose unconventional journey is anything but ordinary. Staci shares how she went from barista to daycare worker to spending a decade in printing — climbing from receptionist to production manager — before launching herself into the tech world. Now a seasoned P...

What happens when a decorated Army intelligence officer, Truman Scholar, and PhD becomes a venture capitalist? You get Craig Cummings — a man whose entire journey has been shaped by leadership, heart, and a deep commitment to service. In this episode, Craig sits down with Keira to share stories from his time at West Point and 17 years in the military, including how he helped bring the first cellul...

In this immensely anticipated episode of From Failure to Launch, Keira sits down with Jeff Livingston, CEO of EdSolutions and Co-Founder of the Center for Education Market Dynamics (CEMD). Jeff shares his journey from revolutionizing textbooks at McGraw Hill to helping nonprofits and positive-impact organizations reshape education today. Renowned for his ability to spot talent and his belief in li...

This week on From Failure to Launch, Keira sits down with Kali Peracchia—AI Instructional Specialist for Denver Public Schools, middle school educator, and PhD candidate at the University of Denver—to explore the intersection of technology, equity, and education. From tackling teacher turnover to building a thriving professional learning community, Kali challenges the scarcity mindset in schools a...

In this episode, Keira sits down with RC Johnson—Founder of Simple and Done, former Engineering Director and CTO, and one of the most prolific interviewers during his time at Indeed. With over 2,000 interviews under his belt, RC shares what he looks for in great engineers (hint: it’s all about ownership), why technical interviews should be more quantitative, and how he’s constantly evolving to sta...

In this episode, Keira sits down with Sarah Dooley, the mom behind AI-Empowered Moms. Sarah shares her fascinating journey—from her roots in marketing research to earning her MBA at the University of Texas, and then diving into customer strategy at EY, where she discovered her passion for technology consulting. After leading digital transformation efforts at Waste Management, Sarah joined a genera...

What does it take to go from a college grad with no internships to a Senior Data Scientist at one of the coolest brands out there? In this episode, Kiera chats with Claire Matthews of YETI—who’s also Code2College’s Vision 2024 Mentor of the Year—about her unexpected journey into data science, her biggest career lessons, and what drives her to mentor the next generation of women in STEM. Claire sha...

Keira sits down with Trey Briggs, Director of Engineering at Udemy, to explore his 4-year journey at the company and his philosophy of continuous growth. Trey shares insights on transitioning from startups to larger corporations, troubleshooting workplace challenges across departments, and embracing the thrill of trying new things—even when it makes your palms sweat. He discusses the platforms he’...

In this lighthearted episode, we sit down with Jade Morgan, a Junior at UT Austin studying Electrical and Computer Engineering and currently interning at NASA. Jade shares her love for math, her journey navigating the challenges of transitioning from high school to college, and the importance of building a supportive community. Jade talks about her appreciation for her female STEM mentor, the valu...