PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) student Devyn Allen was interested in computer programming from the time he first discovered coding in high school. After exploring the source code of one of his favorite games, he knew he had an interest in software development and the entrepreneurship involved in creating digital products. His first businesses and coding projects led him to pursue a career in computer science and, particularly, developing his own platforms.
“I aspire to build my own tech company for two reasons: To employ Black people, giving us a safe space to thrive and grow in tech, and to create products with the mission of elevating the Black community,” Allen said.
Although he wasn’t initially considering a Historically Black College & University (HBCU), Allen’s good friend told him about PVAMU, and he was intrigued by its computer science courses, especially the College of Engineering Enhancement Institute (CE2i), a summer bridge-to-college engineering preparatory program. After receiving his acceptance to PVAMU and CE2i, Allen stepped on campus for the first time and immediately thrived in the environment.
After his freshman year, he landed an internship at Lockheed Martin in California, followed by acceptance into the Google Tech Exchange Program, a competitive program that invites top HBCU and MSI (Minority Serving Institution) students to Google’s Sunnyvale location for a semester to learn directly from Google engineers. The following year, Allen was named an Apple HBCU Scholar and spent the next two summers as an intern at their Cupertino, California headquarters.
“My internships helped toward my overall career goals in several ways,” Allen said. “They allowed me to learn what I do, and don’t, like in regard to the tech industry. They drastically improved my technical acumen, which, of course, is necessary for the career that I’m pursuing. Lastly, they provided me with a robust network of professionals that support me and want to see me succeed.”
It was during these internships and through the connections that brought Allen to begin working on POPV1876.com, a website that shares stories of the many successful people who have matriculated through PVAMU. It serves to inspire and invigorate current and future PVAMU students, as well as alumni and university donors.
“What I love most about Prairie View is that it continues to be a beacon of hope and opportunity for all students. Prairie View serves to educate all people, not just those fortunate enough to have guidance and resources before enrolling,” Allen said.
In addition to POPV1876, Allen co-founded gBook.io, an innovative twist on an online marketplace. Developed with fellow co-founder Garrett Tolbert (Florida A&M ’20), this e-commerce platform connects students on college campuses so they can buy, sell and trade products safely with others. Because the platform only allows school email addresses to be used, it creates a secure platform for students to share information and meet to buy and exchange goods and services.
But Allen did more than develop software while at PVAMU. He received the university’s prestigious Unknown 8 Award in 2020 in recognition for his outstanding service, commitment, dedication and leadership while at PVAMU. He has been a member of the Abundance of Hands Ministry, the Baptist Student Movement, Student Government Association and the entrepreneurship club, PV Wire.
“Prairie View has helped me achieve my goals by providing me with opportunities that refined my dreams and aspirations. Attending Prairie View allowed me to be a member of the inaugural Google Tech Exchange cohort, intern at Apple twice as an Apple HBCU Scholar and co-found a startup. These experiences were worthwhile because they boosted my confidence as an engineer, but, more importantly, they helped me recognize the bigger picture of the impact I could have in the tech industry,” Allen said.
After graduation, Allen will join Apple full time as a software engineer. “I’m looking forward to interacting with and learning from some of the best engineers in the world. I learned a lot during my summer internships, and I am very excited to continue learning.”
By Jocelyn Kerr
-PVAMU-