Description :

The school year is ending as summer begins, but not to worry — Peer Talk will continue through the next few months until school starts back up again!

Our guest for this episode is Osagie Ero, currently a software engineer at Amazon Music. Originally from Los Angeles, Osagie moved to San Francisco after graduating the University of Southern California. He began his professional career at Workday, where he helped to create a proprietary programming language for the company's Workday Student product. After a stint as a founding engineer at the blockchain startup Claim, Osagie later joined Astranis Space Technologies, where he undertook one of his most ambitious projects: developing a scheduling algorithm for Astranis's satellites to automatically communicate with Earth, which used to be a manual process. Now, at Amazon Music, Osagie combines his love of technology and engineering with his lifelong love of music.

Since Willie Brown is a STEM-focused school, we were so grateful to have Osagie, a STEM professional, speak with the students of Mr. Jacobson's Computer Science class. The kids and Osagie almost instantly connected with each other, and we hope you'll enjoy their conversation as much as we did while recording.

Description :

The 2026 Bay Area Book Festival heads to Downtown Berkeley from Friday, May 29 to Sunday, May 31, hosting over a hundred panels and special guests. It's an event where readers and writers of all sorts come together to hold meaningful conversations on both local and global interests. The Festival's rebellious, community-focused spirit is in part thanks to its current Executive Director, J. K. Fowler.

J. K. is a prolific essayist whose body of work focuses on social justice and human connection. In 2011, J. K. founded Nomadic Press, a community-oriented publishing house in Oakland; Nomadic Press will return as Nomadic Bookshop in 2026, after a three-year hiatus. J. K. is also a Policy and Outreach Analyst with BAMBD, CDC (Black Arts Movement Business District Community Development Corporation of Oakland). He pushes people to think outside their comfort zone and open dialogues with others from all walks of life.

We were lucky to have met J. K. just before the end of the school year — AND before the Book Festival — so we could have the students at Willie Brown Middle School interview him. Listen in as Mr. Mathews' Ethnic Studies class speaks to J. K. Fowler!

Description :

"Since 1907, the Fairmont Hotel — located in the upscale neighborhood of Nob Hill — has been one of San Francisco's most esteemed and elegant institutions. For over 50 years, the first person to greet Fairmont guests upon their arrival has been the doorman, William May.

May began working at the Fairmont in the mid-1970s, at a time when African-Americans had far-less-prominent roles in the hospitality industry. In his illustrious career as doorman and brand ambassador for the Fairmont, May has met famous historical figures like Thurgood Marshall and John Lewis, U.S. Presidents, other world leaders, entertainers, and more. All the while, he has proudly embraced his role in the history of the hospitality industry, and unwaveringly embodied the mission of the Fairmont Hotel and its brand.

Listen in as Mr. Mathews' Ethnic Studies Class interviews the legendary William May!"

Description :

Ms. Vanessa Paiz’s Eighth Grade English Language Class Interviewed Mr. William Shakespeare who traveled from England 400 Years ago to San Francisco 2026 The Students interviewed him at the Willie Brown Middle School.

Kevin Patterson is the Son of Phyliss and Ron Patterson who are the Founders of the Original Rennisan Faire and Dickins Fair in 1970.

Joe Schmitz‍ ‍( William Shakespeare)is a Bay Area stage actor, voice actor, and drama teacherHis current emphasis is the Hunter Heartbeat Method, a kinesthetic approach to Shakespeare that makes theatre more accessible to people with autism. 

Joe has had the pleasure to appear with Nash Baroque and Dance Through Time in their production of Pulcinella’s Dream. His other stage credits include various roles at the Dickens Christmas Fair, Lucifer with San Francisco Renaissance Voices, and The Poet in Poet’s Corner at the Marin Irish Festival. Joe studied theatre at Studio ACT in San Francisco and the Teatro Dimitri in Switzerland. 

Without Further Adieu… May we present to you Mr….

William Shakespeare !

Description: For Part Three: Round Table Discussion with the Technology Panel and the Faculty at Willie Brown Middle School

The Technology Panel at the Willie Brown Middle School was a two hour event. 

Here is part three:  A round discussion with the panel and the faculty, led by Jonathan Jacobson the Computer Science Teacher.

Maynard Holliday 

was the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Critical Technologies in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for research Engineering. He worked for President Obama during which time he launched the Defense Innovation Unit.

Taylore Givens 

Taylore works in engineering and consulting, helping to bring complex systems into real-world environments. Her work lives in the layer where technology intersects with physical infrastructure , regulation,and coordination across stakeholders. She represents the implementation bridge between abstract innovation and lived reality. Which includes:

Integrating systems into communities.

Navigating compliance and logistics

Balancing budgets and feasibility 

Coordinating between public private actors.

Taylore layer reminds us that technology is not just software -it becomes part of buildings, streets, institutions, daily life.

Adam Perry is in real estate and has a non profit.

He is the CEO of Blackbridge Development and Consulting, a real estate company that specializes in buying and renovating houses. They also help people get connected to contractors , landscapers and staging specialists. He is the executive director of Disciples Open Door Project, an education charity that specializes in empowering students of color and giving them resources that they need.

Richard Jones 

Richard Jones is a 25 year veteran of the internet .His experience at Intel Corporation and General Dynamics makes him a well seasoned Technology Professional.

His roles included Venture Capital Stock Options Trading, Strategic Marketing, Government Security and Clearances Emerging Country and Channel growth.

Jared Givens 

Is a Software Engineer skilled in C++ Rust, Typescript, Java Script, C# Go, SQL CMake Linear Algebra Agile SDLC He works for Tesla, He worked for Google and is the Co Founder and lead instructor  STEM Camp 

The Technology Panel at the Willie Brown Middle School was a two hour event where the

Middle School Students had the Opportunity to interview five STEM industry

Professionals. Here is part two of this truly wonderful event .

Adam Perry is in real estate and has a non profit.

He is the CEO of Blackbridge Development and Consulting, a real estate company that

specializes in buying and renovating houses. They also help people get connected to

contractors , landscapers and staging specialists. He is the executive director of Disciples Open

Door Project, an education charity that specializes in empowering students of color and giving

them resources that they need.

Richard Jones

Richard Jones is a 25 year veteran of the internet .His experience at Intel Corporation and

General Dynamics makes him a well seasoned Technology Professional.

His roles included Venture Capital Stock Options Trading, Strategic Marketing, Government

Security and Clearances Emerging Country and Channel growth.

Jared Givens

Is a Software Engineer skilled in C++ Rust, Typescript, Java Script, C# Go, SQL CMake Linear

Algebra Agile SDLC He works for Tesla, He worked for Google and is the Co Founder and lead

instructor STEM Camp

In Part ONE of our Technology Panel the students from Mr. Jacobson’s Computer Science Class and Mr Matthews Ethnic Studies Class interviewed Mr. Maynard Holiday and Taylore Givins

Maynard Holliday worked as Assistant to the Under Secretary for the department of defense under President Obama and President Biden. Taylore Givens works for Miscrosoft Edge and is a specialist in AI