By: Shelby Hobbs
Friday October 9, 2015

Mauricio Gomez stands out as a busy student who refuses to slow down until he graduates. Mauricio is a senior studying Information Technology at Florida State University. At FSU, he involves himself in clubs and organizations such as Lambda Pi Eta Honor Society, Phi Sigma Theta Honor Society, the Cybersecurity Club, and the Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP). Mauricio is also helping to design a new website for FSU’s School of Information, as well as interning with the local start-up company Proper Channel as a software developer. In the spring of 2015, Mauricio learned about the Florida IT Career Alliance and the amazing opportunities that would present themselves as a Student Ambassador.

When Mauricio was a young boy, he was in an after school program which opened his eyes to the possibilities made accessible through education technology. Mauricio became a Student Ambassador because he wanted to open the eyes of younger students to the possibilities that technology can offer. Mauricio thinks students should learn about technology at a younger age to help them develop for a world in which technology is a leading force and gaining momentum. As a member of FITC, Mauricio has helped with career fairs and conferences in addition to his work with students across the Florida panhandle. Mauricio has taught classes in HTML and CSS, but his favorite activity is giving tours at FSU. Mauricio’s love for helping other students is contagious and influences his peers to help others. Below is an inspiring story he described about helping a student learn more about website design.

“My most memorable experience with FITC was teaching a young boy how to build a website. When we started the boy was uninterested and as I sat with him he repeatedly told me things like, ‘this stuff is too hard,’ and 'maybe it’s just not for me.' I told him that he was talking nonsense and explained to him how to start and let him work on creating his own website. With some helpful guidance, the boy began to go at his own pace. By the end of the lesson, the boy was blown away he left that class with the ability to build his own website using HTML and CSS. I saw him at a later occasion and the boy stopped to tell me how he had finished his own website and how he is now working on more complex websites using java-script and PHP!”

Mauricio’s goal is to become a software developer for a good company. Eventually after he gains experience Mauricio hopes to open his own company providing IT solutions for small businesses. Connect with Mauricio on LinkedIn.

FITC Student Ambassadors make up a team of dedicated and knowledgeable students both at FSU and FAMU. These students travel across the Florida Panhandle to promote information technology, computer science, and computer engineering to high schools. Ambassadors are responsible for activities such as running coding camps, assisting in technology clubs, or hosting college tours. For more information on FITC Ambassadors, visit the Ambassador page.

The Florida IT Career Alliance is an initiative funded by the Florida Board of Governors which aims to recruit, retain, and employ Florida's next generation technology workforce. FITC promotes information technology, computer science, and computer engineering to local high schools and college students across Florida. Connect with FITC on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.