ReDI School is a non-profit organization that provides free digital education to women and non-binary people with refugee and migrant background. They offer a wide range of courses and workshops to cultivate technical skills, as well as career-oriented activities.
Kent Agerlund, a Security MVP, and Regional Director, teaches at ReDI School, sharing the latest security solutions and best practices as an expert of Microsoft Security. As a mentor, he empowers participants with self-development and professional skills, connecting many motivated and skilled individuals to the labor market in Denmark.
In this blog article, we introduce the voice of Kent, who has supported participants’ growth for over a year and a half at ReDI School.
Kent shared three key points learned from interacting with participants during his time at ReDI School:
- How brave the women are, who decided to pursue a career in cybersecurity, a field that is often dominated by men. “They showed me courage, resilience, and determination to overcome the challenges and barriers they faced.”
- How dedicated the women are, who invested their time and energy to learn new skills and concepts. “They showed me their passion, curiosity, and enthusiasm to expand their knowledge and apply it to real-world scenarios.”
- How hard the women work, who balanced their personal and professional responsibilities with their studies. “They showed me their commitment, discipline, and perseverance to achieve their goals and dreams.”
Kent’s activities at ReDI School significantly contribute to building a diverse society where everyone, regardless of gender, can thrive and create a better tomorrow. He taught us about the positive impact diversity has on society, “In addition to the valuable skills and insights that the women have gained from this course, I think they also contribute to the positive impact that diversity brings to the world. Diversity is not only a requirement for making 2+2=5, but also a source of strength, innovation, and harmony. I have been fortunate to work in diverse environments for several years and I have seen how diversity fosters creativity, promotes a safe and inclusive workspace, and enhances work/life balance. Diversity enriches our perspectives, challenges our assumptions, and inspires us to learn from each other. I believe that diversity is essential for building a better future for ourselves and our society.”
Kent also holds a bright and exciting outlook for future community activities, saying, “My future outlook for community activities is bright and exciting.” He continues, ”I plan to continue working with ReDI School and engage more in cybersecurity training, as I believe this is a crucial skill for the digital age. I also want to continue my work within the Microsoft start-up community and support the local user groups like Experts live, MMS, Nordic Virtual Summit and much more.”
Furthermore, Kent expressed his passion for supporting others from a community leader’s perspective in the future. He states, “I'm dedicated to assist wherever I can, by bringing technology to everyone, both those fortunate that already have a job in industry and especially to those less fortunate, who do not yet have a job. I think this is a great way to share my passion, knowledge, and experience with others and to contribute to the social good.”
Kent's example of leveraging technology education to carve out a new career path and enabling diverse professionals to reach out to even more diverse groups of people can be considered a best practice. “I hope that this article will encourage other community leaders to start engaging with schools like ReDI School,” he says.