Aaron Varella

Varella, a VCU graduate, is a recruiting and staffing specialist for Dominion Energy by day. In January, he decided to use his professional background to help his peers. Varella created Cove of Advice, an Instagram page where he aims to connect college students and young adults to growth opportunities while sharing lessons he’s learned on his own path to growth. With a following of nearly 450, Varella answers questions related to life and career and has collaborated with teachers, business professionals and notable names like entrepreneur, investor and motivational speaker Daymond John.

Rachel Mahan

If there’s one thing to know about me, it’s that I am curious. I love to learn + challenge what I know and have experienced in the world. This was a trait that would lead me to a a career in tech. Around five years ago, I began learning about programming + how that is used in the familiar technologies we use on a daily basis. Presently, I am a software engineer for CoStar Group. Outside of work related interests, I enjoy cooking, traveling and cute animals. I am thankful for the home I have found and made in Richmond. I enjoy the community of tech professionals, friends, and neighbors who make our city a great place to live.

Yash Tekriwal

I’ve had the privilege of working with amazing people in the education space over the past couple of years.
·     Cutting edge teams at the University of Virginia SCPS (#Launchpad)
·     Seth, Marie, Taylor, and the amazing community at altMBA + Akimbo.
·     The CS department at St. Anne’s Belfield.
·     My co-founders at Radify Labs.
·     A community of ruckus makers at HackCville.My own journey with education really was a complete accident. I still remember the first data science workshop I ran back in 2016. It was never about “being a teacher” for me – it was about fixing a problem that I was shocked by – the blinding ineffectiveness of traditional teaching approaches.What started as an experiment to create a better learning environment for 12 students has now become a mission to create education that matters, and has touched thousands of students around the world.I’m currently putting together the diverse educational programs and experiences I’ve seen over the years – and figuring out what the combination of everything looks like. I’m passionate about helping create lifepreneurs.

Isaiah Harvin

A passionate seer, builder, and doer, Isaiah Harvin is a product innovator that is at the intersection of design, business, and technology. Isaiah has a passion for bringing ideas to life, focusing on research, agile methodologies, people, and products. These focuses allow him to understand and gain the experience of bringing products and brands to market. Through his range of experiences working on flagship brands in corporate settings, researching and designing in creative agencies, building for social good in the startup world, and now shaping media and culture through his role at HBO Max, Isaiah brings a unique skill set and perspective to the table.
With broad facing experience with international business, academic research field world as well as experience as a non-profit board member, Isaiah seeks to be a difference-maker who can be comfortable with the uncomfortable and hopes to make a positive impact and create positive change in everything he does.