In the late 1990s at Three Rivers Community Technical College, professors in the computer science department included Dr. Savas, Joe Mecuri, Joyce Parker and others led courses to local students.

Jim Savas:

Just a teacher at Three Rivers in Norwich? No. Jim, humble as he was, worked at IBM and developed the first modern era computer - 360 system. He founded Systems, Inc to help modernize record keeping functions. He was a professor at URI, Johnson and Wales and Three Rivers.

Jim was a hacker. I remember in his data structures with C++, he showed us a library that should not work a certain way but did! He taught us to design software, code it, create custom libraries and he also taught database courses.

We had to create a database and I made mine electronic components. "Why did you chose this topic?" he asked me. I said, "My dad had a speaker business and I know all these parts." He smiled. "Wilbur. I knew your father. He was a good man."

Could any of ask for more than that? To be remembered this way a decade after our passing?

One day, I told Savas I had a job interview. He said to me, "You need to choose what is important. Your education is important." I was a single broke mother of 3 young children. When I went to my car, it wouldn't start. I missed the interview and was not eligible again to interview with that large company. Unable to reach anyone for a ride, pre-Uber days, I walked from Three Rivers to my one bedroom apartment in Taftville. Two days later, some people from church came to look at the car.

Loose distributor cap. Seriously!?

Joyce Parker:

I could have left Connecticut in December 1999 had Joyce Parker let me take the database course over the assembly language course but she would not. I was so upset. I was freezing, having come from Arizona. So, that semester, I was chosen over lawyers to attend Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet and Society, I met John Gilmore of the EFF at lunch during an event and attended the first DMCA protest in Washington D.C.

Because Joyce refused to give me an exception (which, by the way she gave another student), my life changed for the better. Because of that course, I was hired by Microchip in 2005 and have done 5 rounds at Intel. Even today, I work with registers and confidential computing. I truly believe I would not have had the career path and success I have experienced without that assembly language course.

Joe Mecuri:

This was one of my favorite teachers ever. He used chalk and a chalkboard to teach us assembly language.

This was a time when tech was young. Unfortunately, the town was involved and had a lot of hope in the addictive economy. Instead of focusing on innovation and tech, most of the town fell into the addictive economy.

Casinos robbed Norwich

Now, this town is so far behind in tech, even with a council member who has allegedly a Master's in Computer Science. I know a LOT of techies and I have a Master's in Information Technology, building upon the AAS in Comp Sci from Three Rivers.

So why, when you have a council member (Singh) in tech does he own a gas station and car wash? Where is the push for tech? I was once told by an Uber driver he believed the casino frowns on skilled workers. Could it be true? I called several job centers who told me no. No tech courses. At least nothing to get those 6 or 7 figure gigs. Maybe elementary level like the library. At least they try. It's a start but tough catching up to the rest of the world and led by limitations in resources and knowledge/skills. Uncasville Job Center did tell me they were going to hold a course for CNAs. Not the same.

We are victims to the culture and environment of stress, poverty, low economy and poor educational environment. Add a huge population of low emotional intelligence. Focusing on problems is thinking in the past. Emotions and thinking about problems keep us in the past, never changing to live in the present. Stress from financial issues mounted by losses in gambling, scratcher tickets, drugs, alcohol or any other stressor, hinders your ability to move forward and there is a large population here living in this space.

Dress for success was a discussion I was involved in last year. One woman stated she was angry her boss, the CEO wore jeans. Seriously? Come to the west coast in tech, your anger will be duly noted and you can pursue a career elsewhere. I worked on Wall Street recently on a gig and we put executives who were not posers in the highest regard. Yes... we didn't deal with external customers so we wore jeans. Absolutely. Closed minded opinions with hate do not belong in the workplace.

We are Norwich. We can emerge from the past to a bright present and even brighter future.

Let your light shine Norwich. Let your light shine.

Write a book, create training, create a phone app, develop a system as a service. Open a hackerspace, 3D print some cool stuff, make a robot, code a game, speak up, start a newspaper and watch the three rivers flow!!!! To the ocean my friends, to the ocean.

Ask yourselves: What resources do I need to succeed or at least not struggle? One night at 99, I sat at the bar next to a woman having a steak dinner, bragging about her graphic design business. She had no degree, no real world experience but is sucking on the teat of Norwich - she's not even from here but taking business away from locals who could do the same thing. Not Miranda - no, I respect her. She's from here. She employs locals. This was an outlayer, seeing our businesses as a target to fund her lifestyle.

Learn web development or design, graphic design, game design. We can do this.

I'm not saying it will be easy. Nothing worth doing is.