{"682101":{"#nid":"682101","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Graduating CS Major Draws Strength from Father\u2019s Example to Lead in Tech","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFor \u003Cstrong\u003ETai\u2019Re Barashango\u003C\/strong\u003E, the journey toward computer science (CS) began early, sparked by Lego Mindstorms, a curious mind, and inspiration from his father.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cGrowing up, my father taught CS at the high school level,\u201d Tai\u2019Re said. \u201cHe never pushed it on me, but I\u2019d visit his office and see what he was working on. Just being around it got me interested.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENow a faculty member in Georgia Tech\u2019s College of Computing, \u003Cstrong\u003ESababu Barashango\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003Eremembers his son\u2019s early creativity well.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cHe loved music- listening, dancing, even writing rap songs,\u201d said Sababu, a fellow at the Constellations Center for Education in Computing. \u201cHe performed one at his elementary school that became their unofficial theme song. He was also active in sports like basketball, cross country, and track.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat creative energy extended to technology. Tai\u2019Re began building robotic animals and catapults in middle school using Lego Mindstorm kits, some of which were passed down from his dad. \u201cI gave him my programmable Lego sets,\u201d Sababu said. \u201cAnd, during summers in high school, I would enroll him in free online courses for coding to complement his CS course.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt Union Grove High School, he took his first digital technology class.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOnce I started coding, I realized this is kind of my thing,\u201d Tai\u2019Re said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOutside the classroom, Tai\u2019Re was deeply involved in community service. As a first-year college student, he earned the A.D. King Foundation\u2019s Outstanding Youth Leadership of the Year award. He was recognized for completing over 100 hours of service and for his leadership as a JROTC battalion commander. He also delivered a speech on youth empowerment at the ceremony.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt was powerful being in a room with people connected to the Civil Rights Movement and others breaking barriers in education,\u201d Tai\u2019Re said. \u201cI think it\u2019s important to give back and inspire kids to be ambitious.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHis father shared how proud he is of his son\u2019s accomplishments. \u201cTai\u2019Re has grown into a young man with compassion, intelligence, and maturity. He\u2019s a great problem solver, in school and life.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENow a graduating CS major, Tai\u2019Re has made the most of his time at Tech. He\u2019s been active in research and student organizations. He\u2019s worked as a long-term student assistant in the College of Computing and interned as a software engineer with Genuine Parts Company, tackling real-world technical challenges.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAmong his many memorable moments at Georgia Tech, one standout experience for Tai\u2019Re was a Vertically Integrated Project (VIP) with School of Literature, Media, and Communication\u2019s \u003Cstrong\u003EJoycelyn Wilson\u003C\/strong\u003E. His team created a digital archive focused on hip-hop culture.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe built a website where you could look up songs, watch videos, and even view AI-generated lyric analysis,\u201d Tai\u2019Re said. \u201cIt was amazing to merge my love of music with CS.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe credits \u003Cem\u003ECS 1332: Data Structures and Algorithms\u003C\/em\u003E and other early courses in the School of Computing Instruction for giving him the foundation he needed to succeed.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThat class gave me core skills for technical interviews,\u201d Tai\u2019Re said. \u201cProject-based classes helped me build a strong resume.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOutside of academics, he was involved in groups such as the African Student Association, African American Student Union, and the Black Student Computing Organization (BSCO).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cBSCO was especially helpful. They host events, share our resumes, and connect us to recruiters,\u201d Tai\u2019Re said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAll the preparation has paid off. After graduation, Tai\u2019Re will begin his career as a software engineer with Cargill in Midtown Atlanta.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHis advice for students is to be patient and stay curious.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cComputer science is broad; it might take time to find your niche. But it\u2019s worth exploring. Georgia Tech is rigorous, but you grow a lot as a person and a coder.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFor \u003Cstrong\u003ETai\u2019Re Barashango\u003C\/strong\u003E, the journey toward computer science (CS) began early, sparked by Lego Mindstorms, a curious mind, and inspiration from his father.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cGrowing up, my father taught CS at the high school level,\u201d Tai\u2019Re said. \u201cHe never pushed it on me, but I\u2019d visit his office and see what he was working on. Just being around it got me interested.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"For Tai\u2019Re Barashango, the journey toward computer science (CS) began early, sparked by Lego Mindstorms, a curious mind, and inspiration from his father. "}],"uid":"36613","created_gmt":"2025-04-28 17:56:42","changed_gmt":"2025-05-05 13:57:46","author":"Emily Smith","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-04-28T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-04-28T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"676971":{"id":"676971","type":"image","title":"taire1.jpg","body":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EFather and son, Sababu and Tai\u0027Re Barashango, share a bond through CS at Georgia Tech; Sababu as a Center for Education Fellow and Tai\u0027Re as a graduating CS major. Photos by Kevin Beasley\/ College of Computing.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1745863035","gmt_created":"2025-04-28 17:57:15","changed":"1745863035","gmt_changed":"2025-04-28 17:57:15","alt":"Father and son, Sababu and Tai\u0027Re Barashango, share a bond through CS at Georgia Tech; Sababu as a Center for Education Fellow and Tai\u0027Re as a graduating CS major. Photos by Kevin Beasley\/ College of Computing.","file":{"fid":"260828","name":"taire1.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/04\/28\/taire1.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/04\/28\/taire1.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1889773,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/04\/28\/taire1.jpg?itok=cbwScGB9"}},"676972":{"id":"676972","type":"image","title":"taire3.jpg","body":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EFather and son, Sababu and Tai\u0027Re Barashango, share a bond through CS at Georgia Tech; Sababu as a Center for Education Fellow and Tai\u0027Re as a graduating CS major. 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Photos by Kevin Beasley\/ College of Computing.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1745863035","gmt_created":"2025-04-28 17:57:15","changed":"1745863035","gmt_changed":"2025-04-28 17:57:15","alt":"Sababu Barashango and Tai\u0027Re Barashango celebrate Tai\u0027Re\u2019s graduation from Georgia Tech, marking the next step in his journey as a software engineer.","file":{"fid":"260830","name":"taire4.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/04\/28\/taire4.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/04\/28\/taire4.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2087142,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/04\/28\/taire4.jpg?itok=91Z0mY63"}},"676985":{"id":"676985","type":"image","title":"2X6A0413.jpg","body":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EDuring his time at Georgia Tech, Tai\u0027Re has been involved in clubs and research, and worked as a student assistant. Photos by Kevin Beasley\/ College of Computing.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1745936933","gmt_created":"2025-04-29 14:28:53","changed":"1745936933","gmt_changed":"2025-04-29 14:28:53","alt":"During his time at Georgia Tech, Tai\u0027Re has been involved in clubs and research, and worked as a student assistant. 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