About Kuumba Code

Styner Stiner is the founder and lead instructor of Kuumba Code, a creative technology program helping young people in Nigeria, Suriname, and the United States learn coding, AI tools, digital creativity, and real-world problem solving. A full-stack builder, creative producer, and systems thinker, Styner created Kuumba Code to give students the tools, confidence, and mentorship to become builders of their own future — connecting technology, music, storytelling, entrepreneurship, and community impact. Through hands-on projects, students learn to build websites, use AI responsibly, explore creative technology, and see how digital skills can support education, income, leadership, and self-expression.

Sergio Valentin, known professionally as GLG, represents the creative side of Kuumba Code and BeatMaster: music, digital production, storytelling, and the power of technology to turn raw talent into real opportunity. Through GLG's example, students see that technology isn't only for building apps — it can produce beats, organize a music catalog, prepare releases, protect creative work, and build a professional brand. A beat can become a business; a song can become a product. GLG shows students they don't have to choose between being creative and being technical — they can be both.

Dr. Uzo Nwankpa is a doctorate-prepared nursing leader, educator, researcher, and wellness advocate whose work focuses on healing, leadership, and burnout prevention. Her presence is especially powerful for girls in Nigeria and other students who need to see women of African heritage leading with intelligence, care, culture, and authority. Her story tells every student that success is not limited to one path — a young girl can become a nurse, a leader, a professor, a researcher, a founder, and a speaker. Your background is not a limitation; your voice, culture, education, and discipline can become your power.

Damond Isiaka is a distinguished mediator, coach, and speaker specializing in government regulations, legal compliance, and business management. An award-winning real estate broker recognized by the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) as a thought leader and certified education provider, he brings his law degree and MBA together to drive innovation wherever he works. Since 2012 he has helped clients navigate business and society’s most complex challenges at the intersection of law, economics, and society. At Kuumba Code he serves as our legal counsel and teaches students the skills no one else teaches early enough: how to negotiate their worth, protect their work, and lead with ethics in tech and business. Juris Doctorate (JD), Oklahoma City University School of Law; MBA, Meinders School of Business, Oklahoma City University.

Anne Symens-Bucher is the founder of Canticle Farm, an intentional community and 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Oakland, California's Fruitvale district — and Kuumba Code's fiscal sponsor. Every gift to Kuumba Code is received and administered through Canticle Farm (EIN 46-1484633) with full financial oversight, tax-deductibility, and donor privacy. Known to our students as “Aunty Anne,” she anchors Kuumba Code in a decades-deep legacy of community care, hospitality, and social justice work in Oakland.