For this Where Are They Now? segment, we catch up with former Digital Scholar Rafael Sanchez, who graduated from UIC in May of 2024.
Name: Rafael Sanchez
Current job title: Manage technology support specialist, UIC Technology Solutions, University of Illinois Chicago.
I’m based at 200 S. Wacker in Chicago, where I support the DPI offices on the fourth, seventh, and 20th floors, the president’s office on 36, and occasionally the Illini Center on 19.
What does a typical week look like for you? On Mondays, I like to go around the event rooms and classrooms, just to make sure all the technology’s up and running, make sure it’s ready for either the employees here or the classes. From there, we have a ticketing system. I check on that, see if there are any tickets up, take any that are assigned to us or DPI-related. Throughout the week, people come in with issues with their tech, and we try to address them. My job consists of imaging computers, setting up workstations, documentation, event support, testing, and troubleshooting.
When did you graduate college, and from where? May 2024, UIC, with a degree in computer science.
Why tech? I grew up with tech. I had a bunch of videogames; I had one of those bulky computers back in the day. I also took a couple CS classes in high school, and I think that was the major reason I got into CS.
The problem-solving aspect of CS, my curiosity as to how things work — and why they work — really inspired me and motivated me to pursue tech.
Why DPI? In the summer of 2020, I got a call from Kay Monelle [DPI’s director of K–12 programs]. She connected with me because we both went to Lane Tech. She introduced me to Digital Scholars and said I could take some introductory college classes.
That was the first year of Digital Scholars. I also got a scholarship out of that, which was great.
The following two years of Digital Scholars, I served as a student coordinator. Then when I was at UIC, DPI was looking for a student IT worker, and I moved over here.
Have you been involved with Digital Scholars in this capacity? We support them. Every year, we set up the computers for them, wipe them, stuff like that. (Editor’s note: Sanchez also spoke at a ChiTech Discovery Day to provide his perspective as an industry professional.)
I’m super proud and excited that the program has come so far. Back then, it was during the pandemic, so it was through a screen. Now they’re in actual classrooms with five different tracks for students.
What non-tech skill has helped you the most in your current job? Patience. My parents aren’t super tech-savvy. Most of the time when things aren’t working, they come to me for help. Sometimes it’s very simple, but you just have to be patient with them. The same thing applies at DPI. Some people here are still building their comfort with tech. The patience has really helped, and just understanding that, hey, I had a lot of exposure to tech, and a lot of this is new to them. It’s evolving.
What was the most important thing you learned in preparing for this career? Related to patience, I learned the importance of trial and error. In tech, especially in a lot of classes I took, there was a lot of failing and succeeding — just figuring out what went wrong and learning from that. Especially with the CS classes; they’re all very project-heavy. You’re not going to get the answers on the first try a lot of the time. It’s a lot of trial and error, but also a lot of asking for help.
What do you like most about your job? I can use my strengths to get people where they need to be — helping them move forward with the tasks they need to do for their jobs.
I also like that there’s a lot of problem-solving, a lot of on-the-spot solutions that I need to come up with. Sometimes tech can be very finicky, and that’s where I come in and try to problem-solve or get other backup solutions just in case.
Where do you see yourself in five years? I really like computer science and technology, so I would love to go for my master’s. Technology is evolving all the time, so I can’t predict exactly where I’ll be. But I would like to stay involved in it. For example, I would like to build my own app.
What advice do you have for high school students considering a tech career? You can take a one-off class or do an internship to get some initial exposure. Tech is very broad, so you can combine it with your interests. For example, I like music, so I combined music and tech by building applications that combine both.
Anybody can get into tech. It just takes a lot of practice — like I said, trial and error. And tech really needs people from all backgrounds.
Maybe there’s fear that a lot of junior positions are disappearing now because AI’s taking over. But I’d say we still need people from diverse backgrounds to steer AI in the right direction, make it more sustainable, discuss ethics, and be involved in its evolution.
Author: Jeanie Chung