New Pathways: Per Scholas

Yeison interest in technology started early. Frustrated by the few available radio stations — and their poor signal strength to boot — he started tinkering around with the family radio looking for a way to boost the signal. Together with his two brothers, they DIY’d an antenna extension for their rural mountain home in Colombia that yielded better reception, and also more stations. From there the trio progressed to fixing broken radios. Then when he was 11, his class went on a field trip to see a computer. None of the students, including Yeison, had ever even heard the word “computer” before that day. That exposure proved to be life-altering.

“We only played a simple car game, but what stuck out to me the most was that you could control what was happening on the screen. From that day on, I was hooked.”

After high school, Yeison took some online IT classes and started a home business repairing computers. While working a series of food service jobs in hotels and restaurants to support himself after moving to the U.S., he discovered Per Scholas Greater Boston and enrolled in the 15-week Cybersecurity program with the goal of advancing his career.

The opportunity to use your interest, talents, and the desire to challenge and improve yourself. The opportunity to further your career or to transition into a new one. The fact that these opportunities are provided tuition-free enabled me to access this incredible resource. I consider myself very lucky to have found Per Scholas.” Shortly after graduating from Per Scholas Greater Boston as the class valedictorian, and earning his CompTIA CySA+ certification, he accepted a Service Desk Engineer position with CMIT Solutions of Boston-Cambridge. Yeison reports the role is an excellent fit for his skills and career interests.