Oscar Platoon TAs and Mentors

As part of the many resources Code Platoon provides, teaching assistants (TAs) and mentors play a vital role for our students’ education. Serving as TAs and mentors, tech professionals support new cohorts, providing guidance and clarity to each student’s coding journey. This month we’d like to highlight a few of our outstanding TAs and mentors.

Charles is a 2019 Code Platoon graduate who started in an apprenticeship at 8th light and is now holding a full-time position there as a software crafter. In his free time, Charles volunteers as a mentor. 

“I feel very strongly about Code Platoon’s mission in helping Veterans and spouses transition into the tech industry,” says Charles. “I’m happy to have the opportunity to give back to other Veterans and spouses that attend Code Platoon and offer guidance during a transition in their lives.”

Shawn is a 2018 Code Platoon graduate who, like Charles, wants to give back. He is a full-stack developer at AVB Marketing and dedicates time each week as a TA, assisting our newest cohorts. 

“I enjoy filling in the knowledge gaps for students that missed any fundamentals from the lecture so they can become self-sufficient coders,” says Shawn. 

Chase participated in Code Platoon through Skillbridge in 2020, and he now works as a software engineer at Defense Software Corporation. In addition to volunteering with Code Platoon, Chase participated with NYC Coders to help support the Black Lives Matter movement where he and his team developed an application that allows users to efficiently organize around common goals or shared interests to enact change at the local level through peaceful means. 

“So far, the most enjoyable part for me is when the person I’ve been mentoring graduates. I know I doubted myself regularly when I was a student and wasn’t sure if I would make it through the program. So, seeing someone cross the finish line kind of lets me relive that moment of joy,” says Chase.

Brenna Koss is Code Platoon’s Development and Operations Coordinator. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina Greensboro in Political Science and French. In her free time, Brenna loves to travel and spend time with friends and family. Follow Brenna on LinkedIn.