International Student Stories brought to you by Study in the USA
Our mission is to support, educate and celebrate the international student and higher education communities by providing a platform to share authentic stories and exchange ideas. We aim to unite people. To better appreciate and understand our differences, while recognizing our similarities and shared dreams. To inspire and uplift people. To create a more welcoming environment for all individuals. One voice at a time. One story at a time.
International Student Stories brought to you by Study in the USA
Rewriting the Code: Black Women in STEM
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
SEASON 3 — EPISODE 1
Rewriting the Code: Black Women in STEM
Jessie Gentles is part of the 3%.
The tech industry has become one of the most lucrative and fast-growing sectors in the world. But within that rapid growth lies a stark reality: Black women represent only a small fraction of the IT workforce.
Born in Jamaica and now a software engineering student at Miami University, Jessie is determined to change that narrative.
In this powerful Season 3 premiere, Jessie shares her journey from Jamaica to the United States, navigating culture shock, academic rigor, and the realities of being a Black woman in STEM. She speaks candidly about representation, mentorship, and the responsibility — and opportunity — of being part of a small but rising percentage in tech.
Jessie is also a Hackathon Committee Member for Black Wings, a growing community of more than 950 women within Rewriting the Code, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering underrepresented communities in technology. Through mentorship, internships, networking, and leadership opportunities, organizations like these are actively reshaping the future of tech.
This episode explores courage, community, and the importance of building spaces where every voice belongs.
Change is not just on the horizon — it’s being coded in real time.
Episode Summary
02:42 – Simon shares the meaning behind Jessie’s last name, Gentles.
03:14 – Jessie discusses her educational background and her desire to explore the world.
04:52 – Adapting to culture shock after moving to the U.S.
05:53 – Reflecting on how life may have been different had she stayed in Jamaica.
06:46 – Her experience as a Black woman in STEM at Miami University.
08:09 – Comparing technology accessibility in the U.S. and Jamaica.
09:09 – The impact of organizations like Black Wings and Rewriting the Code on her academic journey.
10:27 – How she became involved with the Black Wings organization.
12:11 – Why Black women have historically been underrepresented in STEM.
12:56 – The power of mentorships and internships for the next generation.
14:49 – What the Black Wings Hackathon Committee does and why it matters.
16:18 – Jessie’s entrepreneurial ambitions in software engineering.
17:27 – Networking strategies that have helped her grow professionally.
18:37 – Professors who have influenced her journey.
19:47 – Navigating American slang, holidays, and cultural traditions.
23:24 – Final advice for students considering studying abroad.
Hello, hi, how are you? Welcome to International Student Stories. I am your host, Simon Hamlin. Thank you for taking time to join us. In this episode, we explore the massive disparity between men and women in the tech field, and in particular, how women of color are so underrepresented. I knew the disparity existed, but I had no idea to what extent. A September 9th, 2022 report by Zipia.com showed that 78% of software engineers are men and only 22% are women. A National Center for Women and Information Technology report found that in 2018, black women made up just 3% of the computing world. And this statistic does not make a distinction between technical and non-technical women in computing. The NCWIT, National Center for Women and Information Technology, supports those numbers as well. Just 3% of tech workers are black women. Jesse Gentles, a Jamaican-born woman majoring in software engineering at Miami University, visits with us today to discuss her experiences as a black woman in the tech world. She's involved in an organization called Black Wings, which provides support and resources to black women pursuing a career in technology. We want as many people as possible to hear Jesse's story and all the important inspirational stories in our previous episodes. Please take a few minutes to subscribe and follow us. That way you're notified whenever we release new episodes. You can also rate us, you can share the podcast with others by clicking on share, and you can write a review. Go ahead and pause this episode right now so you can take action. Thank you for helping us. Without further ado, I give you Jesse Gentles' International Student Story. Hi, Jesse Gentles.
SPEAKER_02Hi.
SPEAKER_01How are you?
SPEAKER_02I'm good. How are you?
SPEAKER_01I am good. I'm good. Whenever I see a name that I'm not familiar with, so Gentles is the last name that I've never seen before. I always have to look it up. Do you know the meaning of it? I actually do not know the meaning of it. You don't? No. It comes from old French and it means noble or well born. What do you think of that? Okay, good to know. And I wanted to start just getting some background for our audience on you and your studies. Could you talk a little bit about you first coming over to the US for high school, right? Yes. So you were here before college. So talk a little bit about where you attended, where you're currently attending, and what you're majoring in.
SPEAKER_02Okay. So I attended Salem Academy for four years, and it's a small all-girls school in North Carolina. And then for college, I actually attend Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. And I'm a software engineer and major with a minor in statistical methods and bioinformatics.
SPEAKER_01And so Salem Academy, that's in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. I actually, my aunt lives there. I visited there a couple of times, and it's a beautiful place. And then Miami University, not to be confused with University of Miami in Miami. So Miami University in Ohio. And you're originally from Jamaica, correct?
SPEAKER_02Yes. I'm originally from Kingston, Jamaica. Yes.
SPEAKER_01How did you first decide to move to the US for your studies? Was that a decision that you made? Was that a parent's decision?
SPEAKER_02That is definitely a decision that I made and let my parents know I wanted to do something different. I wanted to, I don't know, start exploring the world earlier on. I didn't want to wait until college. And I learned that board in school existed. And I just thought it was the perfect opportunity to go somewhere new and experience some new stuff in life.
SPEAKER_01What was that transition like coming from from Jamaica, coming to the US? What was the culture shock like? How did you adjust?
SPEAKER_02Well, the first few months weren't as much of a shock. And then it got cold. That was a shock when it was winter time. Everyone was super sweet. It was a very diverse school. So we had students from all over the world, as well as students from the local community. So I would say it was a good chance to meet students from China and Vietnam and some students from Ohio, students from North Carolina, and actually met a lot of students from the Caribbean who I probably would have never met if I didn't go to board in school because there isn't as much communication between the islands, surprisingly. So and I was happy about that as well, meeting other students from various Caribbean islands.
SPEAKER_01What do you think your experience would have been if you had stayed in Jamaica for your schooling?
SPEAKER_02Honestly, I'm not sure. I will say that I decided my major because of a teacher I actually met during high school in the US. So originally I thought I wanted to become a doctor, and then I met a great computer science professor, and I was basically convinced that I wanted to go into tech after that. So I think I probably would have been on a completely different career path. So probably a big difference.
SPEAKER_01You're definitely in a career path that is unique, especially as a woman, as a black woman, very rare to be in software engineering. Talk a little bit about how that's been to deal with what you notice in that world of software engineering, at least at Miami U.
SPEAKER_02Well, I will say that my experience has been that most people are very supportive. And a lot of people are just excited to see people in tech who are different from the norm. Just being a woman in tech, most people in the classroom are generally men. So people are like, oh, woman in tech. And then if you're from another country, everyone's like, oh, so what's the experience with tech in your country? What are the differences? I would say it's great being in tech because it's a field where people are very open and want to see differences and they're curious about what other people bring to the table. And they want to see how that adds to innovation and development in tech. So I would say it's a great experience.
SPEAKER_01That's great. It's an anomaly. I think it's about 3%, maybe less. I was looking at some stats of how many, I think it's a little over 20% for just women in software engineering in the field, and then it dips down all the way to about 3% for black women in software engineering. You mentioned the difference between tech in your home country and the US. Can you talk a little bit about what those differences might be?
SPEAKER_02Well, for one, I noticed when I moved to the US, I did have a lot more access to technology. I started using technology more for taking notes, started using more video platforms and just more tech platforms. And overall, I also noticed that tech was something that was introduced almost in the classroom earlier on. Versus, I think my experience in Jamaica was that you had to have an interest in tech before you were introduced to it. So I would say that was a big difference I noticed.
SPEAKER_01And you are a part of an organization called Black Wing. It's a sub-organization of an organization called Rewriting the Code. Can you talk a little bit about rewriting the code and Black Wing and your involvement in that organization?
SPEAKER_02Yes. So Black Wings is essentially an organization for Black women in tech, and it hosts forums, it provides resources, it does internship prep, essentially just providing everything that Black women would need to feel more comfortable in the tech space, which when you are a minority in any field, you're less likely to have resources catered towards you. So it's good to have organizations that look out for someone like you. Rewriting the code is a larger organization, so it's generally for women in tech. And it's a global company. We have members from all over the world, and we essentially do the same thing: hackathons, forums, just basically ensuring that there is a space for women in tech and that we have the resources to do great things and that we never feel like we don't belong.
SPEAKER_01How did you first get involved with the organization?
SPEAKER_02So I actually first got involved with Black Wings because of a friend who is also in tech. We met in Borden School and she was like, I'm a part of this great organization called Black Wings, and I think you should join. It's for Black women in tech, and I know you expressed to me one day that you might have been interested in computer science. So I did not end up going into computer science exactly, but I ended up in software engineering and it was open to all black women in tech who are college students. So I joined.
SPEAKER_01Jesse, how has the organization helped you personally on your journey so far in the world of software engineering?
SPEAKER_02I've met so many great people in Black Wings, so many inspirational women who their internship experiences, their world experiences, and just all the advice they're able to give you has been great. They've always, I know one person in particular. Sometimes I want advice about what type of companies I should look into for internships, what I should look for in a workplace when I'm applying for internships. Small things like that. You just want to have someone who has more of a background knowledge and people who have been through this before you, it's been a massive help for me. So I would say that's how it has helped me.
SPEAKER_01And why do you think black women have been historically underrepresented in the software engineering world and just tech in general?
SPEAKER_02I suspect that in marginalized communities, tech isn't as readily available. And as a result, black women aren't exposed to tech earlier on. And so they might not have the time to develop an interest in it until maybe college. And at that point, it might be too late. So I suspect that's where it's coming from.
SPEAKER_01So, in addition to black wings, what are some other ways that you feel like we can promote tech and software engineering to a younger generation? So we kind of catch them before they have already gotten to a point where they feel like it's too late to get involved?
SPEAKER_02I would say programs, mentorship programs, school programs for tech, summer camps, anything to just give a first introduction to tech, I believe is enough to gauge far more interest than we have right now. But just exposing people will I believe increase the amount of people who want to join tech.
SPEAKER_01And you're really a part of that, right? I mean, being a part of Black Wings is really helping with some of that.
SPEAKER_02Yes, definitely.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. And what other ways do you hope to continue to be involved in Black Wings? Like, do you have an official role right now? Is it member? Is it like an administrative role or a leadership role? And how would you like to see that role evolve over time?
SPEAKER_02So I originally started out as a regular member, and then eventually I signed up to be a part of the projects committee, which is the committee that plans events, and we worked on the Blackwings newspaper for a while. And essentially, we work on longer-term projects for the organization. Right now, I just entered the hackathon committee, so I'm excited to start that. I'm not exactly sure what my role will be yet, but I'm basically helping to plan the next annual hackathon for Blackwings.
SPEAKER_01So, wait, how does the hackathon work? I get a little nervous. I'm like, uh-oh.
SPEAKER_00Do you do you go and all of you like start trying to hack into our computers or not quite?
SPEAKER_02It's it's a weekend where programmers and developers, software engineers all come together and you get on Teams and you try to create projects, work in projects that generally have some theme behind them. I believe the last hackathon's theme was social good. So all projects for that weekend would surround creating programs for a social good.
SPEAKER_01Long term for just software engineering and your career trajectory. Do you have a sense of maybe what your ideal company would be to work for? Or maybe you want to start your own company, or you've got a certain product in mind that you want to develop. Do you have a sense of what direction you want to go, or is it still too early?
SPEAKER_02I wouldn't say I have a deaf net sense of where I want to go, but I do know that I eventually want to start my own company in the future. And one of my goals is actually to develop an app. I haven't thought about the idea yet, but it's one of my main goals.
SPEAKER_01That's exciting.
SPEAKER_02Something I'm very excited about.
SPEAKER_01That's very exciting. So do you have some friends, classmates that you've talked with about any ideas that you want to develop together as part of your future company that you'll be creating?
SPEAKER_02Yes, I have. I've spoken to my advisors at Miami University, and they've been very supportive of that. They've said anything they can help me with, they will. And professors are always open to you discussing your ideas with them as well. I also have friends, not necessarily at MIME University, but I've actually met through Blackwings who we've spoken about what our plans are for the future and potentially which companies we might work for. So that might be something that I might think about doing something in bioinformatics. I also have an interest in statistics, so I'm not exactly sure where I'm going, but I'm excited about it.
SPEAKER_01You've got lots of time too. Jesse, what's some advice you would give potential future students on how to best network within the high-tech software engineering world?
SPEAKER_02I would say a great way is to join clubs in your department or just at school in general and speak into your professors. Your professors have a lot of life experience, they know a lot, they know a lot of people, and they can guide you in the right path towards getting internships and which companies are best to work at and what field you're interested in working in. In tech, you can pretty much work anywhere because you're in tech, like you can advance pretty much any field. So I would say clubs, speaking with your professors, and if you can join any sort of outside organizations, just like Blackwings or rewriting the code, or any organization that focuses on tech, I would say go for it. You'll meet many great people, and it will more than likely be an enriching experience.
SPEAKER_01Jesse, are there specific teachers that have been most influential for you?
SPEAKER_02Yes, there have definitely been some teachers that have made the difference for me.
SPEAKER_01Could you name one and maybe a little anecdote on how they helped you?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I can name one. My intro professor to software engineering was Misam Amjad. And I would say coding can get very frustrating. And when you have a teacher that can encourage you and let you know that one little bug in your code doesn't mean you're a bad programmer. It makes the world of a difference. And having a great intro to computer science or software engineering teacher will honestly probably make or break you. So yeah, I really want to thank all my professors, but that is a particular professor I would like to thank.
SPEAKER_01Talk a little bit about any other culture shock that you felt from coming as an international student to a college campus. What was that experience like for you?
SPEAKER_02I would say going to boarding school before I had less of a big culture shock because that was a very intense work environment than the average high school, I would say. But even just having conversations sometimes with people, there'll be cultural disconnects. So we might say a specific word that to us, like what's up, depending on where you're from, that's I'm not really sure how to respond to that. So it it just depends on sometimes conversations will be a little harder to have because there'll be a disconnect there. But I would say for the most part, because of where I am in Ohio, people aren't in a brush generally. So it's nice to have more conversations and have time to build deeper connections while being here.
SPEAKER_01As far as traditions go, like traditions that you grew up with versus new traditions that you've experienced in the US, what are some of your favorite traditions from back home? And what are some of your favorite, maybe new traditions that have come up in the US, whether it's cultural traditions or holidays, any of those type of things?
SPEAKER_02So some traditions I would say I love back home are Independence Day celebrations back home and Christmas time. I love Jamaican food, and in Christmas time, you know, you get together with family and you have Christmas music, and it's to me just a great experience. I would say here I've actually spent Thanksgiving here for one year. I used to go home during Thanksgiving, and I spent Thanksgiving here last year, and I really enjoyed it. It reminded me somewhat of Christmas, the experience of getting together with friends and family. Well, in this case, friends family. It was a different one, and I really enjoyed it.
SPEAKER_01Okay, be honest though. How was your Thanksgiving dinner compared to maybe the foods that you've come to love from Jamaica?
SPEAKER_02I would say nothing compares to Jamaican food. It was great. The dinner was great.
SPEAKER_01What are your favorite favorite dishes from Jamaica?
SPEAKER_02I love rice and peas. I love fried plantain, cargo, oxtail. I love it all.
SPEAKER_01Have you found any Jamaican restaurants in or Caribbean restaurants in Miami? Or in Ohio, in Miami?
SPEAKER_02I've been to a few. They they have not lived up to my standards yet, but I'm still exploring. I'm sure there has to be one.
SPEAKER_01Maybe that's the app idea. An app to identify all of the good Caribbean restaurants nearby. All right, there we go.
SPEAKER_02That's a good idea. I'll give you credit when I read it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I I have a feeling that's not the that's not the million-dollar idea, but maybe maybe that could be a class project to lead you to the million-dollar idea.
SPEAKER_00Is there anything else you want to talk about or anything that I haven't asked before we wrap up?
SPEAKER_02I would just say that if you're thinking about doing a study abroad experience, just do it. Don't overthink it. It's a great experience. There's nothing like studying abroad, I would say. I've traveled as a tourist and sometimes to the same location, and it's just a completely different experience. You don't get to immerse yourself into the culture, and that is something you definitely get to do when you stay abroad in a country for a longer period of time. So I would say take the risk, take the job, study abroad.
SPEAKER_01I like it. Thank you, Jesse. We wish you all the best. Thanks so much for stopping by and joining us. It's been great to talk with you.
SPEAKER_02All right, thank you.
SPEAKER_01Thank you again for listening to International Student Stories. And thank you to our team for putting together this episode. Stories are meant to be shared, so please pass the story on to a friend or family member who needs to hear a good story. A few other quick notes. I invite you to check out the show notes if you want more details on some of the topics discussed in this episode. For all the latest podcast news, stop by our website, studyintheusaglobal.com forward slash podcast. That's study in the USA Global.com forward slash podcast. Subscribe to the International Student Stories Podcast to be alerted on new episodes. And contact us if you know of a current or former international student whose story needs to be shared with the world. Goodbye for now, be well, and much love to each and every one of you.