Buildwithbot

Driving economic mobility in Greater Orlando through tech access, workforce readiness, and entrepreneurial innovation

11/03/2026

BOT fam, meet the woman helping lead us into our next decade! 💎

Safia Porter, our Executive Director, started out just like so many of you: as a community member. Now she’s helping BOT grow into everything it’s meant to be.

Her reminder hit home for us: “When you don’t have community, you feel alone.” BOT exists so nobody in tech has to go it alone. Workshops, networking, mentorship, and people who’ve got your back.

And the vision? Tampa, the Space Coast, Jacksonville, South Florida, and eventually nationwide. 🚀

We’re celebrating 10 years on November 14 at the Diamond Decade Gala, and TODAY (Tuesday, Nov 3) is the last day to get tickets. Don’t miss it!

🎟️ buildingourtech.org/gala.html

10/31/2026

The only thing scarier than Halloween is that you don't have your Gala ticket yet.

Get yours before they disappear on Nov 3
https://buildingourtech.org/gala.html
.and remember to wear your finest formal ghost wear 👻

10/31/2026

The real Halloween scare? 👻 Missing out on the Diamond Decade Gala! 💎✨

🎟️ Ticket sales close November 3!
🎓 Student tickets are still available!

Join us November 14 as we celebrate 10 years of Building Our Tech! 🥂

💬 Comment “GALA” below for the ticket link!

10/30/2026

BOT fam, this is a VERY special Flashback Friday 💛

Before BOT, there was 2013. Josh and Emily Walker had to start completely over. They sold almost everything, moved back to Orlando, and were working at Bealls Outlet and Forever 21 with master’s degrees in hand. Their daughter was on the couch and they were on an air mattress on the floor.

So Josh got scrappy. He turned a WWE internship into a marketing job at a tech startup and started hanging with the devs (“you guys are the coolest people in the company” 😂). Orrett Davis told him to start going to meetups, and that’s where he met Mike Felix. They were always the only two people who looked like them in the room, so they decided to build something about it. Hello, BOT 👋🏾

Then Josh said he wanted to teach. Emily’s reaction: “You wanna do WHAT?” 😅 His very first class, Cloud 101, connected him with his current employer. When he called with the news, she cried knowing their lives had changed forever. 🥹

That’s what BOT is built on. Real, lived experience of starting from nothing. Josh and Emily had each other, and because they know exactly what that feels like, they’ve poured into building a whole community. So if you’re in that spot right now, you’ve got people in your corner who are invested in your success and ready to help you get to YOUR life changing moment. 🙌🏾

10 years of lives changed, and we are SO proud of every single one ✨ That’s why we’re celebrating big at Brilliance in Orbit: The Diamond Decade Gala on Nov 14 at the Winter Park Events Center! Every ticket helps keep this work going, because so many people need this community right now, more than ever.

🎟️ Grab yours before sales close Nov 3: https://buildingourtech.org/gala.html

Watch the full story and show Josh and Emily some love below 👇

Video: Event Video Partners

10/29/2026

🏆 People’s Choice Award nominee #5: Kelly Shea!

Teacher turned inventor turned founder? That’s Kelly! 💡 She invented DripLock, holds a patent, and started Innovation Station to help kids spot problems, build solutions, and pitch their ideas like real entrepreneurs. 🚀

She’s also one of our own, a BOT cohort member who shows up all over Central Florida’s startup scene. From working with Girl Scouts of Florida to getting into the Rally Social Entrepreneur accelerator, Kelly brings serious energy and always follows through. 🙌

That’s all five nominees, BOT fam, and YOU pick the winner! Live voting happens at the gala on November 14, and nobody knows the result until it’s announced, not even us. 🎉 Want a say? You’ve got to be in the room.

🎟️ Tickets close November 3. Come cheer for Kelly!
https://buildingourtech.org/gala.html

10/29/2026

🏆 People’s Choice Award nominee #4: Arlene Blake!

When Arlene was in fifth grade, her teacher told her she had a gift for gently guiding others to their full potential. ✨ Decades later, she’s still doing exactly that.

Arlene founded Women on the Rise International, and her 10-week Career Development Cohort helps women land better careers, negotiate their worth, and build their networks. She doesn’t stop at skills, either. She works to remove the real-life barriers like childcare, transportation, and tech access that keep women from moving forward. 💪 Her Spring 2026 cohort just graduated, and she’s building a whole community of women who lift each other up and bring that energy home to their families and workplaces. 💜

BOT fam, YOU pick the winner! Live voting happens at the gala on November 14, and nobody knows the result until it’s announced, not even us. 🎉 Want a say? You’ve got to be in the room.

🎟️ Tickets close November 3. Come cheer for Arlene!
https://buildingourtech.org/gala.html

10/29/2026

🏆 People’s Choice Award nominee #3: Jennifer “Jenn” Desir Hilaire!

It started with 20 turkeys and a donated parking lot. 🦃 Back in 2020, Jenn just wanted to make sure her Parramore neighbors had a Thanksgiving meal. She fed about 80 people that day, and she never stopped.

Today, The Desire Foundation, Inc moves more than 10,000 pounds of groceries every month, and Jenn is building Parramore Market, a choice-based neighborhood grocery market with more than 1,000 households already signed up. 🛒 It’s more than food, too. The market’s Community Access Hub will connect families with résumé help, job resources, and health services all in one place. And she brings 700+ volunteers along with her every year! 💛

BOT fam, YOU pick the winner! Live voting happens at the gala on November 14, and nobody knows the result until it’s announced, not even us. 🎉 Want a say? You’ve got to be in the room.

🎟️ Tickets close November 3. Come cheer for Jenn!
https://buildingourtech.org/gala.html

10/29/2026

🏆 People’s Choice Award nominee #2: Dr. Laine Powell!

BOT fam, if you’ve been around since 2019, you know Dr. Powell has been in our corner for a long time. 💜

She’s the Founder & CEO of Tech Sassy Girlz, which has helped more than 4,000 students use tech for good, and Tech Your Impact, which helps people build digital skills, start businesses, and get smart about AI. Her Pearls in Tech program has connected students with paid internships, and she’s lent her expertise to BOT as a judge for our startup competition. Her whole mission? Making sure girls and young people of color see themselves as the creators and makers of tech, not just users of it. 🚀

Remember, YOU pick the winner! Live voting happens at the gala on November 14, and nobody knows the result until it’s announced, not even us. 🎉 Want a say? You’ve got to be in the room.

🎟️ Tickets close November 3. Come cheer for Dr. Powell!
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/brilliance-in-orbit-the-diamond-decade-gala

10/29/2026

🏆 People’s Choice Award nominee #1: Porcenel “PJ” Joachim!

BOT fam, you showed up for this one. PJ got nomination after nomination, and it’s easy to see why.

He’s the Founder & CEO of P1 Tech Solutions and has been part of the BOT family for years. But what you all kept talking about was his heart for the community. He threw a back-to-school drive that served 300+ families with backpacks, supplies, food, and free haircuts for the kids. He funds scholarships, gets laptops and tablets to families who need them, mentors youth, and gives people with zero experience a real shot with hands-on training. Pine Hills knows him as a pillar, and so do the small businesses he’s helped grow.

Here’s the fun part: YOU pick the winner. Live voting happens at the gala on November 14, and nobody knows the result until it’s announced, not even us!
🎉 If you want a say, you’ve got to be in the room.

🎟️ Tickets close November 3. Come cheer for PJ!
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/brilliance-in-orbit-the-diamond-decade-gala

10/28/2026

Coming soon...

The story of Josh and Emily's journey into tech despite all odds, how it changed their lives, and the determination to build a community for others to do the same. Moral of the story is no one does it alone; we need each other.

10 years later, we hope to see you at the Brilliance In Orbit Gala on Nov 14 to celebrate hope, inspiration, community, and family. When we say BOT fam we mean it. 💙

Get your tickets before its too late, last day is Nov 3:
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/brilliance-in-orbit-the-diamond-decade-gala

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