During second period on December 22, 2014, Jose Masquez, a Dwight Morrow alumnus, captivated Information System (I.S.) students of DMAE with tips on entering careers in the technology field.

In the school auditorium, Mr. Masquez advised I.S. students of the numerous job opportunities available in Silicon Valley, CA. He explicitly encouraged minority students who are interested in pursuing technology to seek jobs in the region. Since the workers of the various companies in Silicon are predominantly white males, the companies are always seeking to diversify their work teams.

“It was really inspiring,” junior Paula Niederland said. “He taught me to chase my dreams and take risks when necessary.”

Mr. Masquez originally came to America as a teenager. Though he did not speak any English, he continued to work through high school. He continually changed jobs as he felt each provided him with a unique lesson. Once he became an adult, Mr. Masquez took a leap of faith and moved to California to pursue a career as the Senior Developer for Twitter.

“I think he was one of the best speakers we had for IT,” technology teacher Anthony Dinallo said enthusiastically, “I think it got all of the students excited, especially our campus’ large minority population.”

In addition to the advice, Mr. Masquez handed out prizes to students who answered his questions correctly. He handed out stickers, Twitter tee shirts, and for the lucky student who answered his “million dollar question” correctly, a tablet!