The Southwest Neighborhood Assembly Youth Activities Task Force (SWNA-YATF) will host its Computer for Kids Graduation on Saturday, December 8, at 2 pm at King Greenleaf Recreation Center, 201 N Street, SW. Qwawi Hakeem Graham, Executive Care IT Technician with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will be the guest speaker. Since early adulthood, he has been a tinkerer of electronic devices which has been an inspiration for his work in the technology field for the past ten years. Graham will talk about growing up in Newark, New Jersey and how his childhood choices, family and community support enabled him to choose wisely, pursue an education and become successful in the technology field. Presently he is one of three staff members with FDA’s Executive Care who works directly with FDA’s commissioner and executives to ensure that their technology needs are fulfilled. While working with such a demanding group of people requires keeping up with cutting edge technology and relaying information in a timely and accurate manner so that it is easily understood, Graham indicated that his work is “both challenging and rewarding”.
Prior to entering the technology field, Graham worked in the finance industry for ten years with Fortune 500 companies such as Chase Manhattan (now JP Morgan Chase), Electronic Data Systems and more locally CoStar, a commercial information company. A graduate of Dover Business College in New Jersey with an A.S. in Computerized Accounting and with certifications such as MCP and A+ in various Microsoft courses that have shaped his career in the information technology industry, Graham is poised to share his life story and how his passion for computers has enabled him to enjoy a successful career.
Graham coaches Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Basketball and presently lives in Takoma Park with his wife, Clynthia Graham, Wards 6 and 8 Department of Parks and Recreation Manager, and stepson Armon.
By Thelma D. Jones, a veteran writer for The Southwester and the newly-appointed chairperson of SWNA-YATF.