Meet the Berlin Summer 2021 Class

Today we launch our first program in Berlin 🚀

Why Berlin? This eclectic city hosts a vibrant start-up, tech, and a growing Salesforce ecosystem. Moreover, there is a large refugee community and initiatives like jobs4refugees, REDI School, and CodeDoor.org helping them integrate into the growing tech ecosystem. At a peak in 2015, 55,000 refugees arrived in Berlin that year alone. Currently, Berlin takes in around 5% of Germany’s new arrivals every year, counting 6,316 new asylum seekers in 2019.

We are thrilled to offer 11 motivated participants a place in our Berlin Summer program. Learn more about them here:

Hamza (Moroccan)

Hamza has a background working in the tech industry including in B2C Business and customer support. He has worked in app development for 3+ years and has done a few digital marketing projects. He studied English in University but has since been learning software development. His ambition is to be a pioneer in the tech industry by providing a value to people and businesses.

Adole (Nigerian)

Adole is a recent graduate of the Technische Universität Berlin. His background is in Process and Energy Engineering. He has been looking for an opportunity to do the SalesForce admin certification for some time now, to enable him to work as a consultant or Salesforce administrator. Adole has been nurturing an increasing interest in working in the tech industry because of its dynamism & relevance today and also in order to increase his employability here in Germany.

Muhammad (Pakistani)

Muhammad is a Pakistani citizen but was forced to leave his country at the end of 2014. In Pakistan, he was a lecturer of History at a college in his town. After arriving in Berlin in February 2015, he applied for asylum and got the opportunity to complete his MBA studies by 2017. Although he had to face many financial issues, he did not lose hope. The IT field has always been interesting for him so he joined COURSERA with help of Jobs4refugees to learn Google IT Support Professional Course. He has already completed the first course and the second one is in progress. Muhammad is really motivated to complete the Salesforce course successfully and pursue a career in tech.

Oluwafeyisayomi Adenegan (Nigerian)

Oluwafeyisayomi Adenegan (her friends call her Sayo) comes from Nigeria, West Africa. She studied Computer Science and worked as a Program/Data Analyst for over five years before relocating to Berlin with her family. She has a B1 in Deutsch and recently attended a Data Science Coding Bootcamp at Le Wagon where he learnt how to use Machine learning algorithms to make predictions and how to solve Data Science/Analysis problems in general. Her long term goal is to be either a Data Scientist, Software Developer or Salesforce Developer.

Laxman (Nepali)

Laxman came to Berlin to do his Masters after receiving a Bachelor in Biomedical Engineering in Nepal. His aim was to study computer science but he did not have the background so he did not meet the requirements. During his time as a student, he interned with companies in roles where he had to work closely with Technical/IT professionals and always had the desire to gain similar technical skills. He started searching for ways to train himself for IT roles through online resources and basic skills in coding, databases, IT support etc. When he learned about RefugeeForce, he immediately felt this as a great opportunity to open the doors in the IT world. He looks forward to pursuing the Salesforce administrator certification and getting his first Salesforce job. By continuing to learn, Laxman aspires to get more Salesforce certificates in future and work in more qualified positions, solving more challenging problems and bringing more value to the companies, organisations, and society.

Nik (Malaysian)

Nik is 28 years old and has been in Berlin since 2020. She has studied Law during her bachelor’s degree and worked at a law firm. She also has two years of experience in customer service in the banking industry. During her work as a customer representative, she has come to love working with people, solving their problems either directly or indirectly. She would love to continue working in this industry. Her hope is that with this training she can pursue a career in customer relationship management.

Apitha (Thai)

Apitha (her friends call her Joy) comes from the Northern part of Thailand and has been in Germany for six months. She has studied English and Marketing. Before developing her career in Marketing she has a background in language teaching for four years. Now she is a housewife and is learning German at home. While in Germany, Joy has had to adjust her life in every way and this is a new beginning for her. She is excited to get to join this program because she wants to pursue her interest in the IT field. Joy feels like this program is a great opportunity for everyone including her to be able get a job, settle down, and feel like this place is home away from home.

Majd (Syrian)

Majd is 24 years old from Syria and has been in Germany since 2016. During this time, he studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of Applied Sciences but realised it was not his passion. Since a young age, he was been interested in computers and hardware and is now shifting his career towards programming. He has been studying in Nordrhein-Westfalen at an engineering programming school and in 2019 he did an internship for programming and coding in Düsseldorf for about one month. He has gained so much knowledge from this that it has pushed him forward to improve himself in technical ways. His goal is to gain more knowledge in this direction and be able to increase his experience in the tech sector.

Abhishek (Indian)

Abhishek is a recent MBA graduate with a master’s degree in business administration — International Business focus on General Management from SRH, Berlin. Previously, he studied Mechanical engineering for his Bachelor’s degree at AIET college in Mangalore, India. He has had a very hard time finding a good job since coming to Germany and is currently working part-time at McDonalds. Abhishek is a highly focused and hardworking individual with a sense of values and goals, both personal and professional. Considering that the tech industry is ever changing and dynamic, he is excited by the prospects it can offer and feels motivated by the challenges it will pose. His long-term goals involve growing with a company where he can continue to learn, take on additional responsibilities, and contribute as much value as possible to the team.

Mohammad (Syrian)

Mohammad is 35 years old from Syria and has been living in Germany for 6 years. He studied as a sales assistant and worked in this field for several years. While in Germany, he worked at Mediamarkt for 2 years but was laid off during 2020 due to the pandemic. Since then, he has been looking for jobs while volunteering in elderly and handicap centers to fill his free time and improving his German language. His ambition is to successfully finish the RefugeeForce program and make advanced levels in the Salesforce field. He wants to get as much experience as possible in this field.

Nosa (Nigerian)

Nosa is from Edo state, Nigeria. He grew up in Nigeria where he completed his Bachelors and Masters degree in Accounting. He is now studying a Master of international Business in Germany. Over the years, he has also gathered IT knowledge in SAP and wants to improve his technical skills. He loves to solve problems as an analytical person. His aim is to gather as much knowledge as possible, especially in relevant IT Programs, so that it will enhance his job prospects when he graduates.