Persevere Instructor Spotlight: Meet Andrew Harper

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Persevere Instructor Spotlight: Meet Andrew Harper

Our greatest asset is our staff. Particularly our instructors who are helping our folks gain valuable skills in coding. Not only are they top notch instructors, but they are pretty amazing humans as well. Check out the Instructor Spotlight series to get to know them.

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Instructor: Andrew Harper

What Location do you teach at and for how long?
Claiborne County Jail, I have been with persevere for 4 months

Where are you from originally?
I am from Valdosta, GA

Where did you learn coding?
I am self taught learner. I learn from Udemy courses, and Srimba’s frontend developer program.

What is your favorite thing about coding?
I love creating apps for my hobbies! JavaScript is my favorite part of coding, I love solving the logic puzzles it takes to to create the app/feature of your website. It is so satisfying when you solve that algorithm to create the different parts of your website

What is the hardest thing about coding?
I am not great at creating layouts from scratch. I can create a layout if given one but creating one from scratch is not my strongest feat.

What do you enjoy most about teaching?
I love seeing and learning from each students perspective. I learn so much by seeing how my students utilize their creativity to create amazing websites from what has been taught! I allows me to see how something can be done in a different light which is always fascinating!

Tell us about a project you worked on that you are especially proud of.

I am very proud of my Magic the Gathering collection app. It allows user to search for cards they own and add them to a digital collection; it also has other useful features for playing the game.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I enjoy playing piano, video games, and board games

Do you have any pets?

I have the cutest Pitbull mix named Luna and an old barn cat named Smokey

Favorite Movie or Show.

I love the TV show Adventure Time! I am a big cartoon fan.

What is the best piece of advice you ever received?
Explore the things you are interested in and you may be surprised the doors or careers it will open for you!

Describe your perfect day.

The perfect day for me would be spending some time with my friends and family playing board games, eating some good spicy food for lunch or dinner, and star gazing with my wife. There are some many other days I would want to enjoy but that sounds like a pretty great day for me.

Callie Unruh
AZ Program Manager + Communications Coordinator | Callie is passionate about social justice, and the intersection of holistic solutions to systemic issues of poverty and works to create a society where everyone can thrive. She received her bachelors in Journalism and Masters in Non-Profit Management. Callie is ready to change the world through project management, community engagement, good stories and a good spreadsheet. On the personal side Callie grew up in Oregon and misses the rain. She loves coffee, community and creating a life of impact from the suburbs of Phoenix, Arizona. But most days you will find her cooking, gardening and chasing after two crazy boys.
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Give Hope and Skills Today

For as little as $25 a month you can support Persevere's educational programs giving justice-impacted individuals tangible skills in coding.

Join Us