By Chris Cunningham
Vallie Majors-Thomas, the newest member of the up-and-coming Eugene Region DoJo computer-coding project, moved with her two young children from Eastern Oregon to Eugene in 1988 to study accounting at Lane Community College.
However, Lane's computer science courses soon captured her interest. In one class, Vallie built her own computer. After that, she says, "I knew where I needed to go."
Vallie, who was employed as a bank teller before she enrolled at Lane, wants the DoJo to impart to local youth the same enthusiasm she experienced as a computer science student.
Her return to Lane in January 2015 to coordinate the local DoJo club follows a 15-year career at the Springfield-based Symantec Corp., a multinational software company.
The DoJo, a partnership with Lane, 4J School District and the City of Eugene, teaches middle and high school students the skills they need to develop websites and to create animation and other software applications using open source code "in a comfortable social environment," Vallie says.
Dojo "is about kids helping kids learn and understand the different mediums that are used for computer science and technology," Vallie says. Moreover, "There still are many families who do not have computers. DoJo provides the opportunity for students to engage in coding activities they may not otherwise have access to."
Nan Laurence, senior planner with the City of Eugene, says, "The Digital Dojo is an investment in education for today's students, and economic development for employers, entrepreneurs and employees in the future."
She continues, "The Digital Dojo partnership brings together instructional specialists with expertise in computer science from LCC and 4J and a state-of-the-art classroom in LCC's Downtown Campus, with $50,000 of Telecommunication funds aimed at digital mentoring from the City of Eugene."
As a student, Vallie remembers that "balancing work and home was hard" with young children, especially during the terms she was taking 21 units of coursework and didn't have a computer at home. However, by 1991, at age 33, she had earned three Associate of Applied Science degrees: in Computer Operations, Networking and Programming. She was the first on either side of her family to graduate from college.
Her hard work paid off in 1997 when Symantec offered her a technician position. Vallie was promoted to operations manager, and for six years, she managed a Symantec technical support team in Australia, a location that allowed her travel opportunities to China, India and Malaysia.
As Vallie reflects on her own experiences at Lane, she advises perspective students, "Don't be shy. There's no shame in asking for help. It took me a long time to realize that."
More information about computer science career programs.
Published by Marketing and Public Relations, February 2015.