Code the Dream

This week, our staff members Kathryn Castelloes and Lori Fernald Khamala attended and presented at the 2026 CTE Summer Conference: Unleash Your Superpower, held July 13 –17 in Winston-Salem, NC.

Kathryn and Lori connected with high schools from across the state and joined a roundtable discussion with CTE (Career & Technical Education) directors to spread the word about Code the Dream.

They also led a session on how tech nonprofits can expand career pathways for students beyond traditional college routes as AI reshapes industries, spotlighting our own model at Code the Dream: free, remote, part-time software engineering training that leads to the opportunity to apply for a paid, full-time registered apprenticeship.

Bonus points: they even spotted a giant inflatable rubber duck at the conference, which was pretty fitting considering our own mascot is a rubber duck named Cody! 💛

At Code the Dream, you can help create opportunity that changes lives. We're still looking for passionate mentors for our Node.js and React classes this fall. Learn more about our open volunteer opportunities today at codethedream.org/volunteer.