Meet Drew Hoek, a current student of Emerging Digital Academy’s Iwatani Cohort!
Where were you born and where did you grow up?
I was born in Minneapolis and raised in Champlin, MN.
What was your occupation before graduating from EDA?
I was a rehab therapist.
Why EDA?
I chose to enroll in EDA because I have always had a passion for technology. I received my undergraduate degree from Concordia in Moorhead in Exercise Science. After graduation, I worked as a rehab therapist for a chiropractic clinic in town. Though I loved working with the people there I realized that rehab wasn’t the route for me as a career. I enrolled to keep pursuing my interest in tech and software and make it an aspect of my career. I would still like to have some involvement in the medical field, like working for a med tech company but I’m very excited to be going in this direction!
What has been the most interesting or suprising part about EDA so far?
I think the amount of extra learning on top of programming. Learning to network, develop myself professionally, learn about tech culture and so much more!
Are there any companies you would love to work for?
Boston Scientific! This probably won’t happen right away but as an end goal I would love to work with Boston Scientific as they are a company that works on biomedical technologies and they have a great reputation in Minnesota and the rest of the country.
What are your hobbies outside of EDA?
Playing sports (basketball, baseball/softball), listening to music/singing, and playing video games.
Is there any advice you would give to somebody thinking about joining EDA?
This is a big commitment, so be ready for a lot of learning and don’t be afraid if you don’t understand something at first!
Give a shoutout to somebody in your cohort. What have they done that has wowed you?
Shoutout to Kathryn! I haven’t interacted with her a whole lot but she has been really positive and has asked a lot about how I’ve been especially during and after I was sick with COVID.
What are you grateful for?
I’m grateful to my family and girlfriend for supporting me through this journey and to my cat for making my days brighter!
