During his first year of high school, Jacob Franco-Wadley realized what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. As a teenager, some of his favorite activities, like video editing and graphic design, became even more exciting when he started integrating technology. He was immediately hooked when he took a computer class that taught him how to code.
“I’ve always enjoyed technology and what comes from it,” Franco-Wadley told Remezcla during a recent interview. “My first love came from doing different things that had to do with technology. Once I started learning to code, I knew I wanted to be a computer science major.”
In Moving Forward, a multimedia series in partnership with IKEA, Remezcla celebrates Latine STEM students making a name for themselves in the innovative field. For the series, Remezcla speaks to real students about their educational journey and how their personal spaces inspire them as they prepare for the upcoming academic year.
Born and raised in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, Franco-Wadley, who is Afro-Latino, studies Information Systems at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey. He hopes to get a job as a data analyst once he graduates. Franco-Wadley will be starting his junior year in the fall of 2024.
“I’m looking for a position where I can analyze data and help the community and the world in some way, shape, or form,” he said.
While growing up, the Dominican and Haitian go-getter saw his single mother as the most inspirational figure. Without her, he doesn’t think he would be in the position he is today to succeed. She graduated college a few years ago, so Franco-Wadley looked up to her when it was time for him to pursue his higher education.
“For her to raise me to where I am today, to be able to go into a prestigious school, studying STEM…I try my best to do what I can for her,” he said. “She had the experience to guide me and tell me, ‘This is what you should do.’” Franco-Wadley is currently interning at a semiconductor manufacturing company in upstate New York. What he likes most about majoring in Information Systems is the problem-solving aspect. He can also use these problem-solving skills as the owner of his own photography and videography business.
“I didn’t plan to start a business; it was more organic,” Franco-Wadley said. “But I’ve been able to expand my skills and found out I had a talent for it.”
Whether he’s analyzing data or editing photos he took of one of his college’s sports teams, Franco-Wadley said it’s essential for him to feel comfortable in his personal space. He considers himself a minimalist and is beyond just “throwing posters on the wall,” as he did in his dorm during his first year. Many of the items in his off-campus apartment are things from IKEA.
“By my sophomore year, I realized that I wanted to be surrounded by things that motivate me,” he said. “I realized I didn’t need a bunch of nonsense that would distract me. Everything in my apartment has a purpose.”
Looking ahead, Franco-Wadley wants to continue finding success in his technological and artistic endeavors. He hopes to one day mentor others who are entering the same field as he is. He met his mentors in the fraternity he’s participated in for the last few semesters.
“Nobody knows how to navigate college when you start, so having a bunch of successful men around me to ask questions has been beneficial,” he said. “It’s a goal of mine to be able to do that with the younger men in my family. I want to be someone they can look up to.”
