I love the sound of 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠. That was the melody played at last night's Design and Code tech event in Memphis. High-pitched squeals of happiness from old friends. Warm introductions to new ones.
All of it leading up to powerful tech talks from James Q Quick and Steph Lambruschini. From the sidelines, I watched groups form, grow, and then break apart to greet others. 𝘔𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘴, 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘥𝘐𝘯 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. I didn’t make the after-party but check out the pics below.
This is what a 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 looks like. Interactive. Inclusive. Growing. And yes, it takes effort. But walking into a space filled with joy, professionalism, and possibility is always worth it.
If you're like me, it might feel intimidating. Faces, names, and what seem like tight-knit cliques. But look closer. These are Memphians. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘬? 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺? 𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰?
𝐁𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 showing up consistently. Let us see that smile. Jumping into the local Discord chat. Spill the tea and shout your hot take. Give a tech talk. Show us how awesome you are and what you have accomplished.
So, if you’ve been on the fence about showing up, consider this your nudge:
⭐ RSVP for the next Design and Code.
⭐ Join the Discord.
⭐ Ask your spicy question.
⭐ Show us your project.
⭐ Speak up. Speak out.
⭐ Give a tech talk.
That’s how a tech community grows stronger. With your smile & voice in the room. Let’s keep raising the tech tide in Memphis.
Shout out to everyone who made this happen: The University of Memphis Crews Center for Entrepreneurship, Hamilton Williams, Robert Crocker, Marco Cabrera, and Epicenter Memphis.
