November 21, 2025
Faculty, staff and students at Pearl River Community College’s Forrest County Campus recently attended the Capstone Project presentations from students in the Coding Technology Program.
The Coding Technology curriculum is a program of study designed to train students to be software developers. Students will work with real-world technologies to learn the fundamentals of coding, app development, web applications, and the life leadership skills needed to be successful in their careers and competitive in the job market.
“The Coding Technology program is designed to give students a strong foundation in the Information Technology field,” explained Said Otwane, program instructor.
“Our goal is to enable them to succeed in any role they envision for themselves. Students are taught eight programming languages. They are positioned to be successful as employees through the rigorous academic work combined with practical projects.”
PRCC students making Capstone Project presentations were:
1)Michael Egler – Picayune. Topic: Safety Tracker.
2)Eleanora Hammons – Hattiesburg. Topic: Speed Run Goals.
3)Dustin French – Purvis. Topic: Frenchies Mechanix.
“The Capstone Project is designed to provide the student with an opportunity to work on real world problems,” said Otwane.
“The project integrates academics with practical applications that relate meaningfully to careers in the coding/software development.”
Students utilize the skills learned from these courses: Programming in Python 1 and 2, SQL Programming, Web and Programming Concepts, Client-Side Programming, and Full-Stack Web Development. The Capstone is also a celebration of the perseverance of the students and their accomplishments as young professionals.
“The three presenters learn all the skills necessary to create their projects in their coursework,” said Otwane.
“The program is open to students of any skill level. Typically, students have little to no programming experience. We go over all the technical skill and essential skills (also referred to as soft skills). These three students have been working on their projects since Spring 2025. They have been working on their presentation skills since September.”
Otwane graduated from PRCC in 2018 and continued his studies at Columbia University on a Jack Kent Cooke Transfer Scholarship. He returned to The River in 2022 to meet the need for another instructor in Coding Technology. His special emphasis is on web development.
The Coding Technology program began in 2021. For more information, go to: https://prcc.edu/academics/career-technical-education/stem/coding-technology/
For the latest news on Pearl River Community College, visit PRCC.edu and follow us on Twitter (@PRCC_Wildcats), Instagram (PRCCWILDCATS), Facebook (@PRCCMKTG), and TikTok (@prcc_wildcats).
Article and photo by Chuck Abadie.
