Javier Peraza, Classroom Instructor, Joins Mississippi Coding Academies

The Mississippi Coding Academies are proud to announce that Javier Peraza will be joining us an instructor at the Jackson campus as we plan to launch two new classes towards the end of June.

Peraza comes to us with four years of experience teaching in Jackson Public Schools, where he also served as the debate coach at Murrah High School. Prior to that he was a regional field director for both of Obama’s campaigns and the Democratic National Committee.

Peraza is the co-founder of Jackson Kids Code, a start-up project in Jackson, Miss., with a mission to expand access to computer science through summer coding camps and after school programming opportunities.

He recently told the Jackson Free Press: “I love working with the kids in these programs because they’re hardworking and have a lot of guts, courage, determination and motivation to stick with a program for so long.”

When asked why he wanted to get involved in the Mississippi Coding Academies, Peraza said, “I have noticed in recent years that more and more cities have created tech hubs to attract talent and business. We have a lot of talent here in Jackson, so why can’t we do the same. I am excited to be working for an organization that realizes the potential of taking young people, capturing their talent and giving them the skills for using their talents through coding.”

Peraza’s experience, intense work ethic and passion for youth and computer science is what makes him a great fit for the Mississippi Coding Academies. We look forward to having him on board in Jackson!

[photo credit: Marie Weidmayer; courtesy Jackson Free Press]