Posts tagged with ‘teachers’
A Day in the Life of a Teacher Who Codes: Week 0
Hello! My name is Kristi, and this is my second year teaching for . This year I have been placed at Pixar, something I’m just as excited about as the students. Each week this summer I’ll be writing about my experience as a so you can see how different it is from the other side.
You may be asking yourself, “Why Week 0?”
Two reasons:
- It’s my prep week so classes haven’t started yet.
- Because programmers start counting from 0.
Week 0 is when my two TA’s, Amanda and Rhea, and I do everything we can to get ready for the summer.
Monday
It’s not time to go to Pixar yet, so today I’m working from home. The first thing I do after checking my email is look at Piazza. This is a forum for the teaching staff of all the Summer Immersion Programs to ask questions and get advice. Many teachers ask questions that are relevant for everybody, so it’s good to stay up to date on it. I spend a majority of the rest of the day going through all the documents GWC has provided for me, and bookmarking the most important ones. I quickly glance through the curriculum and start working on projects for Week 1. The last hour of the day I do a check-in via Google Hangout with my TA’s.
Tuesday
Today’s the day I get to go to Pixar! I have been waiting months for this. The meeting isn’t until 4pm, so I work from home all morning. I begin the process of going through lecture slides provided by GWC and updating them to match my teaching style and how I like to explain things. Finally, 2:30pm comes around and it’s time to make the journey to Pixar.
When I get there, I’m as excited as a kid on Christmas morning! We meet with Erin, Alyssa, and Addie, who will be helping us with anything we need. They give us a quick tour, and then show us the classroom. That is the moment it really hits me. This year is going to be completely different from last year. Up until this point I had pictured my old classroom at eBay. It scares me a little that I will have to come up with a new routine. After the tour, we discuss logistics for the summer and the “Meet and Greet” with the students and parents on Wednesday.
At 6pm it’s time to call it a day and drive home.
Wednesday
I’m working from home again this morning, mostly going through lecture slides and making sure I know everything about the projects the students will do. When 2:30pm hits, it’s time to once again make the journey to Pixar. Tonight is the Meet and Greet, and I want to be there by 4pm to help set up. We go over logistics again with Erin, and practice our introductions. At 5:30pm people start arriving, and I get very nervous about meeting the parents.
While everyone eats and mingles, we have them play . After that, we take them to a theater where we give an overview of GWC and talk about our coding background. Then it’s time for the classroom tour and we end the night with a screening of Finding Dory!
Thursday
Confession time: Teachers don’t know everything.
Specifically, I don’t know much about robotics and circuits. For one week of the summer we’ll be working with , which I’m very excited about, though I barely know anything about them. I spend all of Thursday learning as much as I can about them so I can feel more confident in my ability to each that section.
Friday
The laptops are ready for us to check, so the TA’s and I meet with Erin at Pixar first thing in the morning. Unfortunately, some of the programs we need did not install correctly so we spend the day going through each laptop and installing them. While I took charge of this, Amanda and Rhea wrote personalized notes on post-its that they put on each student’s laptop. We also organize our classroom supplies, cleaned off the white boards, and discussed the agenda for Day 1. We finished installing programs on all but a few laptops, but decided to call it a day by that point. We went home excited for our first week!
Do you have a question for Kristi? Email us at !
The Top Ten Reasons to Be a Teacher Who Codes
We asked our and teachers why they became teachers who code. This is what they told us:
Top Ten Reasons To Be A Teacher Who Codes:
- Inspire: What’s more rewarding than knowing you were able to have an impact on the next Facebook founder?
- Be a role model: Lead by example.
- Pay it forward: Doing good for others can have a powerful, positive effect on the immune system.
- Literacy: Coding is the new literacy. Not knowing how to code today is like being able to read but not write.
- Challenge Stereotypes: Many girls steer away from computer science because of the intimidating stereotypes that surround it. Help dispel those myths!
- FUN: Show that Computer Science isn’t boring - it’s exciting and creative! Students get to build websites, apps AND play with robots!
- Access: Show students that people from any background can successfully work in tech.
- Social Impact: Help students build useful tools for their community. There are so many things I want to make to help my community!
- Nostalgia: Introduce students to something I wish I’d known about in high school! Remember when typing was the computer class in school? Sigh!
- Community: Facilitate a safe learning environment for students to explore, take risks and make mistakes!
Sounds pretty good, right?
Interested in being a teacher or know someone who might be? Go to and we’ll send you information on how to get involved!
Adrienne Shulman: Teacher Who Codes
“I wouldn’t describe myself as someone interested in “computers.” I love solving problems, and that’s exactly what computer science and coding is all about.” - Adrienne Shulman
Meet Adrienne Shulman, a , mother of three and a woman who codes. In our Q&A with Adrienne, she dispels the myth that you have to be a genius to code and explains why you don’t even need to LOVE computers to love coding!
Q&A with Adrienne Shulman:
Why did you join the Girls Who Code movement?
As a women with a 16 year career in technology, I see the huge gender disparity first-hand every day. I read an article in the New York Times in April 2013 that mentioned Girls Who Code, and I immediately emailed to ask how I could !
What was your dream job growing up?
There is too much pressure to answer this question, and I never really knew WHAT I wanted to be. I certainly didn’t want to be a programmer, though. I hardly knew what programming was when I was growing up in the 80s/90s.
What was the hardest part of learning to code?
Nothing! It came very easily to me.
Have people every stereotyped you because you are a coder?
There have been several times when I’m in a work meeting and others in the room - men and women both - have assumed that I’m a project manager and not a coder.
How has coding helped you become comfortable with failure?
Balancing family and a career is always a challenge. I have 3 children (ages 5, 7 and 9) and a demanding full time job, but making it balance was never as hard as it was the first year after my first child was born. I switched to a part time job when my first child was 1 year old and was able to stay in the game to keep my skills current, keep earning a paycheck, and keep continuity on my resume until I was comfortable going back full time. What’s wonderful about coding is its flexibility; it’s a job that you can easily do part time, from home, or at odd-hours. It can be perfect for balancing your home life and your work.
Were you always interested in computers?
No, and I wouldn’t even describe myself today as someone interested in "computers.” I love solving problems, and that’s exactly what computer science and coding is all about!
What were your other passions growing up?
Horseback riding, gymnastics, cheerleading and tennis.
Do you think coding is creative?
Is this a trick question? Coding is used to create SO MUCH, from the obvious things like websites and apps to the physical world of robotics, medical devices, cars, film and media. Now, ! It’s hard to find an area in life or an industry that coding has not helped create.
Also, unlike math where there is often just one right answer to a problem, with coding there are many ways to solve a problem!
Who is your role model?
Sheryl Sandberg
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received from your role model?
Everything written in her book Lean In.
What would you say to the girl who doesn’t think coding is for her?
I would ask her why and ask her what she thinks coding is. Non-techies seem to think coding is some secret club and that it’s very difficult to learn. I imagine some coders like to encourage this air of mystique but I like to dispel the myth. Coders aren’t coders because they are smarter than you; coders are smarter because they code. Anyone can learn to code.
I believe role models are important and if a girl has never met a female coder in person and doesn’t see women or girl coders in pop culture, it’s hard for her to understand that coding could be for her.
How can a girl who wants to learn to code get started?
The obvious answer is to start a ! There are plenty of free online resources to learn coding, and I certainly encourage that, but the encouragement you get by joining a group of other girls in a club is incredibly valuable.
What piece of technology do you rely on most?
My Tesla.
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Jennifer Gaspar-Santos: Woman, Mother, Filipina & Teacher Who Codes
“My mother says, “Either you laugh or you cry.” I like this. It helps me overcome failure. You can either accept failure and laugh about it, or you can cry and let it overtake you.” - Jennifer Gaspar-Santos
Meet Jennifer Gaspar-Santos, the Director of Educational Technology and Innovation at St.Ignatius College Prep in San Francisco, CA. She’s also a mother, a Filipina and a lover of curiosity. Jennifer could not say no when one of her students approached her to help start a at school. She says, “It’s that curiosity that pushes folks past the hard part of coding.”
While Jennifer never self-identified as a stereotypical “geeky” coder, she remembers always loving computers. In fact, she claims to have always loved computers more than ice cream. That’s really saying something!
Read more about Jennifer’s passion for code, her role models and how coding has helped her overcome her fear of failure in our Q&A below.
Q&A with Jennifer Gaspar-Santos:
Why did you join the Girls Who Code movement?
The movement speaks to me both as a female director in ed tech and as a female director who is also a person of color. It’s not lost on me how much my role as a Director helps model for girls that anything is possible. We can leverage our identity to push the norms. I was also touched by an enthusiastic student who asked me if I would help start a on our campus. She attended the and wanted that same experience to continue at the school. I literally didn’t even have my boxes unpacked from summer break and she asked me to help get this club going. I can’t say no to a student when they genuinely are curious about something.
Were you always interested in computers?
Yes, I remember when my parents bought me my first computer from sears and it broke. I cried and my mom was so sweet that she said she would buy me an ice cream to make me feel better. I like computers more than ice cream.
What’s the hardest part of learning to code?
Being graded on coding and ridiculed by others who know how to code is the hardest part. I’ll be teaching an intro to design thinking and app development course next year and I’m committed to de-stigmatizing the idea that you have to be really smart to code. The biggest roadblock to innovation is fear and this same fear applies to coding. I think grades perpetuate the idea that you have to get an A in order to be a good coder.
It’s a horrible thought that coders were born with a coding gene. I prefer having the disposition to be curious. It’s that curiosity that pushes folks past the hard part of coding.
Is coding creative?
It’s an art, not a science. It’s using text and logic and variables to create something that didn’t exist previously.
How has coding made you feel more confident?
Coding is like a super power. I know I can roll up my sleeves and learn to code - with or without formal training. The ability to create something that someone once told you only smart people can do is really satisfying.
Has coding made you more comfortable with failure? Tell us about a time you failed and what you learned.
I don’t think this form is long enough. #FailEarlyFailOften
One instance I can think of was hosting my first hour of code. I had this grand idea of collaborating with our school library, our science department, multimedia lab and our social justice club as this inter-club block filled with hour of code activities. I had kids who didn’t know where they were going, rooms were booked, kids eating cookies instead of coding, I had python going on my screen but some other kids on social media. One girl even got lost in the shuffle. It was disorganized.
I even had one girl say, “This isn’t for me,” which broke my heart. I was definitely biting off more than I could chew.
I overcame it by naming it. I had to accept the failure. I had to embrace it and call everything I did wrong. I couldn’t point fingers. I just accepted it. Once you accept the failure, you can put it in its place - behind you - and move on.
Have you ever been stereotyped because you code?
I have had people stereotype me because I code. They think that I must also be good in school and be a complete geek. I actually didn’t do very well in school. I thrived in learning situations that were experiential and, unfortunately, most of my schooling was so traditional that I didn’t do well in those settings. I’m also not a complete geek, I’m a Filipino mother of two that happens to like to code. I like when coding brings together people of all backgrounds. It’s not just for “geeks.” I think folks overcome stereotypes by debunking the idea that only some folks can code and by keeping curious, by embracing your interests and by letting your inner voice guide your curiosity. Forget all the other outside voices–it’s just noise!
Who is your role model?
My mother and Lena Dunham are my role models. Both are feminists, both are amazing at their crafts, and both have made me feel so confident after listening to them talk. I don’t know Lena Dunham personally, but I think if she did meet me, we’d be friends.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
My mother says, “Either you laugh or you cry.” I like this. It helps me overcome failure. You can either accept failure and laugh about it, or you can cry and let it overtake you. I think the second you laugh at something, you strip it of its power. This piece of advice has also gotten me through roadblocks in my life as both a mother and a female director in technology. I like how it presents choices. It allows the person to decide the road they want to take. It makes me feel like I’m in control of where I want to go.
What would you say to the girl who says coding isn’t for her?
I would sit her in front of my laptop. Give her some hot cocoa and hit play on and ask her if she still felt the same way. If she’s coming from a place of fear, I would tell her that she’s awesome and that there are lots of girls out there that feel the same way. I would start with an unplugged coding activity first to debunk the myth in her head that coding is too hard. If she’s coming from a place of disinterest, I would tell her all the amazing things people create with code.
How can a girl who’s interested in computer science get started?
Get started with unplugged activities. Use legos, paper and non technical ways of learning code. The best way to get started is commit to 10 min every other day, then build to 10 min every day then build to 30 min per week. Approach it like a building a muscle. Every exercise gets you stronger and stronger.
What piece of technology can you not live without?
I can’t live without paper. Yes, that’s my favorite piece of technology.
Which of your recently used emojis describes you perfectly?
I like the smirking face emoji. I’m half smile, half silly. Folks take themselves too seriously with coding. It’s fun if you let it be fun.
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Erik Nauman: Teacher Who Codes
“I was a teacher before I learned how to code. I became interested because it looked like a skill that offered huge possibilities for being creative. I saw people making and programming robots and coding graphical animations and thought it looked like a superpower, a way to make magical things happen with machines.” - Erik Nauman
Meet Erik Nauman, an educational technologist - someone who works in educational technology - at The Hewitt School in New York City. He helped start a local to ensure that his students became part of the larger women in technology network.
As part of Teacher Appreciation Week, we interviewed Erik and learned about some of his passions outside of technology along with his favorite parts of technology.
Q&A with Erik Naumann:
What was your dream job growing up?
I wanted to be an artist or a musician.
What do you do now?
Now, I work at The Hewitt School in NYC in educational technology.
Were you always interested in computers?
No, I really only became interested in computers in the past 10 years. Growing up, I was most interested in art, music, teaching, learning, and nature.
Why did you join the Girls Who Code movement?
I wanted to give my students the feeling of belonging to a greater community of girls in computer science.
Do you sense a fear or insecurity around learning to code from your students? How does being in an all female environment affect that?
In my experience teaching at an all girls school, I do see many girls feeling intimidated when they see code and are expected to work with it. However, there are many who also find it amazing and exciting to learn. I feel like those who get intimidated are seeing it through stereotypes that tell them girls are not able to code, are not good with computers, math, or science. When I teach, I expose my students to programming in interesting and fun ways so that over time they’ll see coding as a normal and thing to do, just like writing or reading.
Why did you learn to code?
I was a teacher before I learned how to code. I became interested because it looked like a skill that offered huge possibilities for being creative. I saw people making and programming robots and coding graphical animations and thought it looked like a superpower, a way to make magical things happen with machines.
What was the hardest part of learning to code?
Learning the basic, common concepts shared by many programming languages took a while for me. However, having an understanding of those concepts makes it easier to learn any new language I want to.
Did you ever encounter people who stereotyped you because you code?
People have made the assumption that I can make technology do anything because I can code. I have had to be patient in helping people understand what is reasonable and what is possible.
Has coding made you more confident?
It has opened up creative possibilities that I like to share with people, which has made me happier.
Has coding helped you accept failure?
I had a hard time learning to wire and program an LED matrix. It was really complicated for me and after a couple weeks I gave it up. But later I picked it up again and figured out how to make it work, and eventually it turned into a fun project that was very successful.
Is coding creative? How?
Absolutely! There are usually many ways to do something so just finding solutions to coding problems is a creative process.
Who is your role model?
.
What’s your favorite piece of advice from your role model?
It’s not so much what she said, but that she considers the big picture in her approach to software development. She always thought about how it will be used and safeguarded to make it dependable under different conditions. That is how her software saved the .
What’s your favorite piece of technology?
I love to work with Arduino micro controllers.
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Phillip Pride: Proud Teacher Who Codes
“Whenever I bring up coding, people’s favorite words seem to magically become nerd and weird. When I was younger, I treated the words like daggers to my chest, but now I’ve come to realize that there’s nothing wrong having pride in your interests even if they aren’t shared by a lot of other people.” - Phillip Pride
Meet Phillip Pride, one of our teachers who codes. Phillip is an avid gamer, crediting his Xbox One as his favorite pieces of technology. He’s joining our movement as a teacher who codes in order to ensure that computer science has diverse people working in it to reflect it’s diversity as an industry.
Read more about Phillip in our Q&A below.
Q&A with Phillip Pride:
What was your dream job growing up?
I wanted to be a scientist.
What’s your dream job now?
I moved past being a scientist in middle school and decided on working in the video game industry as a programmer.
Did you always like computers?
Oh yeah, definitely. That’s pretty much due to my love of video games.
What’s your favorite piece of technology?
It’s a tie between my phone and my Xbox One.
Do you think coding is creative?
Coding is one the most creative things I do in my everyday life. Being able to materialize the ideas I have in my head is an unbelievably self-empowering. Having my only true limitation be what I can come up with makes me excited whenever I sit in front of a keyboard.
What made you join the Girls Who Code movement?
The field of computer science has so many paths and options; it’s just too diverse to not have the people working in it reflect that diversity. The movement is giving a group of individuals who have potential do be great computer scientists a chance to show their stuff and advance the technology field to new heights and I am absolutely thrilled to be a part of such a movement.
Have you encountered people who stereotype you for being a coder?
Whenever I bring up coding, people’s favorite words seem to magically become nerd and weird. When I was younger, I treated the words like daggers to my chest, but now I’ve come to realize that there’s nothing wrong having pride in your interests even if they aren’t shared by a lot of other people.
So, coding has made you more confident?
Definitely. Having the power to solve problems with the programs I’ve written is awesome and makes me feel like I’m part of a community.
Tell us about a time you overcame failure:
In my freshman year of college, I took a website and database class. The HTML and PHP portion of the class was easy enough, but using SQL to create a database and connect it to my website proved to be quite a challenge. It felt like everything that I tried to do to solve my issues were either completely futile or made my problems worse. It took a lot of trial and error and asking questions to finally get everything working the way I wanted and in the end my video game review website turned out pretty cool.
What do you say to the girl who doesn’t think coding is for her?
I’d say at least try it out. There’s no harm in taking a course in school or trying out an online course in your spare time. If you find that it’s not your cup o’ tea, you can at least say you tried something new but, if you do enjoy it, then you’ve taken the first step in being a coder and that is absolutely awesome.
Who is your role model?
My best friend, Kirk Murphy.
What’s the best piece of advice Kirk has given you?
Keep grinding no matter how hard things get.
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Jessica Zalzman: Teacher Who Codes
“I wasn’t fortunate enough to have the opportunity to learn coding in high school, so I would love to give that chance to others, especially young, intelligent women who do not know what they are missing out on.” - Jessica Zalzman
Meet Jessica Zalzman, a sophomore at Georgia Tech who is a teacher. Outside of coding, she’s an avid runner and music fan. Jessica joined our movement of Teachers Who Code to give teenage girls the opportunity to learn to code, something she wishes she had when she was in high school.
Read more about Jessica in our Q&A:
Why did you join the Girls Who Code movement as a Teacher Who Codes?
I wasn’t fortunate enough to have the opportunity to learn coding in high school, so I would love to give that chance to others, especially young, intelligent women who do not know what they are missing out on.
Were you always interested in computers?
I was always technologically savvy and my dad would always teach me things here and there but I would mostly use the computer to either play computer games or to engage in creative projects.
What’s your favorite piece of technology?
The laptop because it is so versatile.
What’s the hardest part of learning to code?
The hardest part of learning to code was working through those moments when I would get stuck on one piece of code that just wouldn’t work. However, overcoming this always made it worth it.
How has coding made you more confident?
Coding has made me feel more confident in the sense that I know it is going to be a very useful skill to have in the years to come because technology is our future and someone has to be able to program that technology and come up with new ideas. It is nice to know that I have a coveted skill.
Has coding helped you become comfortable with failure?
I vividly remember a cross country race I was in where I was in second place going into the final half mile or so. The girl in first place was too far for me to see, so I somehow ended up taking a wrong turn and adding an extra loop to the race. When I made it back to the main track, I saw dozens of girls running towards the finish line, but instead of just giving up, I kicked it into high gear and used all of the energy I had left in me to power past about 30 girls in order to end up in 11th place. It wasn’t the placement that I had expected when I was comfortably in second place, but I was proud of my choosing to overcome instead of give in.
Is coding creative? How?
Coding is definitely creative, not only because there are so many different types of things that can be made through programming, but also because there are so many different ways to solve certain problems. The creativity and originality lies in the specific way each coder chooses to solve the exact same problem.
How does code tie to your other passions?
I am hopelessly in love with music. The main source of new music nowadays is through streaming and other types of technology.
What would you say to the girl who thinks coding isn’t for her?
I say that she shouldn’t knock it until she tries it, just like anything else in life. I had no idea how much I would love it until after I started coding in college.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Always make some time for yourself.
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Mei'lani Eyre: Rhythmic Gamer & Teacher Who Codes
“I really liked video games growing up, especially dance and rhythm games. Dance Dance Revolution, Guitar Hero and Just Dance were my favorites. It doesn’t come as any huge surprise though, given that I was really big into musical theater and acting for the majority of my life. So really, rhythm and dance games just combined two of my biggest interests into one.” - Mei’lani Eyre
Meet Mei’lani Eyre, one of our Teachers Who Codes. Mei’lani joined the movement a year ago as a student in the . She’s paying it forward as a Teaching Assistant this summer. As a musical theater performer for most of her life, Mei’lani’s favorite technology are rhythmic games like Dance Dance Revolution, Guitar Hero and Just Dance. Who doesn’t love those games?
Learn more about how code ties into Mei’lani’s passions and some of her other favorite rhythmic games in our Q&A below!
Q&A with Mei’lani:
What was your dream job growing up?
When I was 4 or 5, I always dreamt of being an actress. I carried on trying to support this dream until around the age of 11, when I found that I didn’t quite have the passion or drive to become an actress. It was something that I found really didn’t suit me as a person, and I started thinking about the things I really like and enjoy doing.
What’s your dream job now?
Computers are something I really enjoy, and can totally see myself working with for a career.
Were you always interested in computers?
They were always a big part of my life growing up, and I started to grow more curious about how they work around the age of 10. I loved using the internet, different computer programs, and learning; so I started learning to program around the age of 11 or 12. Once 13 hit, I started seriously considering computer science as my career path. By the age of 14, I had applied for Girls Who Code. A year later,
What were some of your other interests growing up?
I really liked video games growing up, especially dance and rhythm games. Dance Dance Revolution, Guitar Hero, and Just Dance are my favorites. It doesn’t come as any huge surprise though, given that I was really into musical theater and acting for the majority of my life. So really, rhythm and dance games just combine two of my biggest interests into one.
What made you join the Girls Who Code movement?
After two years of learning with no general direction in the field, I finally found the motivation and confidence to start building my future. For me, the first step in this was joining . My mom’s co-worker had suggested it a while ago, and I dismissed it thinking that I didn’t meet the criteria. But once applications for the opened up, I looked over it again and realized that I was completely eligible to apply. So I did, and I have ZERO regrets about that decision. This summer, I’m going to be a Teaching assistant and help inspire more girls to code!
What’s your favorite piece of technology?
I absolutely love arcade game machines. I think they’re a great piece of technology that have continued to grow and adapt despite the competition of console and PC gaming and they still manage to maintain a relevant status in the gaming world.
Which of your recently used emojis represents you perfectly?
Open mouthed smiley faces! :D
Is coding creative? How?
It’s totally creative! When you’re coding, you’re unlocking your inner MacGyver. You’re solving problems in unconventional ways, with strange tools and a ton of knowledge.
For example: At Girls Who Code, my team and I for our final project during the wanted to help people with anxiety through the power of digitally coded narwhals. Those may seem like two incredibly unrelated topics, but how else would we bring them all together in harmony without a little creativity?
What was the hardest part of learning to code?
Learning how to accept mistakes. I had this idea in my head that I was supposed to know the answer to everything and never make mistakes- because that’s how programmers are, right? Not at all!
Coding is FULL of mistakes! No matter what amount of experience you have, you’re bound to mess up here and there. And the magnitude of these mistakes vary every time. I made a lot of mistakes when I was first learning, and that really drove me away from wanting to continue on for the longest time. I didn’t think I was cut out for programming because I wasn’t smart enough. Because I couldn’t figure out some of the simplest bugs on my own. I didn’t understand that this was something that even the most seasoned programmers go through, it’s just a part of the work.
Now that I understand this, I don’t let myself get discouraged. In fact, I love the feeling you get when you finally fix a bug that’s been frustrating you for longest time. It’s not that I like having bugs in my code, it’s that I love knowing I fixed them.
So, coding has made you more confident?
Coding has made me feel more confident through the fact that I’m actually making something. I can’t draw or paint very well, and I’m not very good at writing stories or music. I’ve never thought I’m good at creating, well, anything. And I’ve never really liked anything that I’ve made.
However, coding has most definitely changed that. I like the programs I make. I’m building something from the bottom up, by myself. Through code, I’ve proven to myself that I’m capable of more than I thought.
Tell us about a time you overcame failure.
Sometime in fall of 2015 I was looking for research projects to be apart of. I know a lot of high school students go and do college research at different universities, so I tried contacting a professor at a local university about one of his projects that really interested me. Because of my few options, I really had my heart set on working with him.
After maybe 4 days of anxious waiting I finally got an email back from him. We went back and fourth exchanging more information each time. Eventually he decided I wasn’t right for this project. However, he didn’t leave me with just that. He told me I was ambitious, and that I should continue to create my own luck to find opportunities that were the right fits for me.
That little piece of advice has stayed with me, as I’ve applied this every time since then where I’ve received a rejection letter from something I had my hopes set on. It reminded me to keep trying and to continue to push through, a thought process which has helped me overcome the many failures and rejections that followed after that event, but led to more successes than before.
How does code tie to your other passions?
I’m a brown belt in karate, and I’ve been an assistant instructor for a kids karate class for the past two years. Karate has been a huge part of my life for the past 4 years, and a lot of my motivation to be in the field of computer science comes from the adults that I’ve met there who are in the CS field.
I’m also an avid rhythm gamer. I may not be well vested in the field of gaming as a whole, but I do have quite a bit of knowledge and passion when it comes to rhythm games. I’m talking Dance Dance Revolution, and super obscure games that most people likely haven’t heard of like Pump it Up, Stepmania, Osu!, and Pop'N. I love going to arcades and just seeing what they have in terms of rhythm games. I will spend a solid hour playing between two machines at an arcade if that’s all they have.
Who is your role model?
My karate instructor.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received from your role model?
“Don’t hold yourself back”
What do you say to the girl that thinks that coding is not for her?
Coding doesn’t require you to be a genius the moment you start. It’s a learning process, and you get better as you go. Besides that, it’s not limited to just writing games and word processing software. You can combine code with just about anything that exists. Whatever interest you have in life, technology can come into play.
Where should girls who are interested in coding begin, what’s the best way to get started and to stick with it?
Step 1: Find an online tutorial that teaches you the basics of code. y and are great places for beginners to start.
Step 2: Make friends with people who are in the field. Or even just college students who major in CS. After you’ve been coding a while, you will reach an intermediate level where you’ve done every tutorial possible to learn the basics. But if you’re anything like me, you’re going to need help applying this knowledge to different scenarios. That’s when friends with more experience than you come in. They’re not only great for introducing you to new things, but they’re great resources for when you’re stuck and you need help along the way.
Step 3: Profit
Though in all seriousness, learning the bare basics is super helpful and the most important step in beginning to code, but once you’re beyond that point it’s confusing to know where to go next.
Having friends in the field or with knowledge of where to go next is incredibly helpful with this problem! Or really, any group that’s similar. Finding a group like , ChickTech, or something related that aids you in expanding your horizons can definitely grow your knowledge and make you want to stick with coding.
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Ariana Campbell: Teaching it Forward
“Take on the world with open arms, and take on code with an open mind." - Ariana Campbell
Meet Ariana Campbell, a 17 year-old from New York. Through the mentorship from her Spanish teacher, Ariana joined our movement of Girls Who Code and is now determined to pay it forward by using code to unite the world and inspire other girls to learn how to code. When asked her favorite piece of advice, she replied with, “Sleep when you’re dead.” We can’t wait to see what great things Ariana creates in her lifetime! Read more about Ariana in our Q&A.
Q&A with Ariana Campbell:
What does the Girls Who Code movement mean to you?
Prior to Girls Who Code, I had no interest in the tech world…at all! After I was immersed into programming, critical problem solving, team building, etc. I learned to love coding. I always dreamt of a way to empower the minorities of the world by connecting them socially, economically, and politically. With Girls Who Code, I know that’s possible for me.
Our community of has exposed me to many denominations of people, giving me greater insight into other cultures. Not only has that positively impacted my thoughts in regards to my future, but it has liberated me from the close-minded views I accumulated from living with one culture.
Do you think coding is hard?
Coding is not hard. Coding is not boring. Coding is revolutionary and it helped me further my connection to the rest of the world. Each alumni of has learned to appreciate the art of coding and apply it to their daily lives.
So, you think coding is creative?
Yes.
What did you want to be growing up?
I wanted to be a forensic scientist and help the police or FBI with their investigations.
What do you want to be now?
I aspire to become a child psychologist or a programmer.
What do you want to create with code?
I want to create a website or a game that targets the future of our society to unite as people, not divide by race or income.
How does coding tie to your other passions?
I play the violin and love music. Like code, music connects people in a universal way. Maybe I will be able to incorporate music and code into my career.
What made you apply to the Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program?
My Spanish teacher wanted me to do it. She could tell that Girls Who Code would be a life-changing experience for me.
Is your Spanish teacher your role model?
Yes, Ms. Navarrete is my role model. When I entered her class, I was skeptical that I would do well in Spanish. Through her perseverance and dedication, though, learning Spanish became a breeze. Not only did she constantly put in extra work to ensure that I was on top of my game, she also inserted herself into various aspects of my life, shaping me to be the well rounded student I am today.
Additionally, my mother is my greatest role model because she is an individual who has never allowed the adversities of her life get in the way of caring for her two children. Even when she is tired, she always exerts the last bits of her energy to keep both my sister and me going. She is one of the few people who I know will always believe in me, regardless of the route I take.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received from your mom or Ms Navarrete?
Because of both of these women, I have manifested my own advice: "Sleep when you’re dead” and “regardless of your interests, always pay it forward.” Seldom do we think of the things that we can accomplish when we are complaining, but if we think about life as a finite period, we will undoubtedly motivate ourselves to work towards our ultimate goals and leave a legacy. I do not believe in letting life pass me by; and one of the greatest ways to combat that is by paying it forward. Acquisition of knowledge is the only way to diminish ignorance and stereotypes, but if no one is willing to teach, who will learn?
What advice would you “pay it forward” to a girl to inspire her to learn code?
“Take on the world with open arms, and take on code with an open mind.” If you truly want to revolutionize the world with code, you need to learn how to accept the world as it is, first. You individual cannot improve something unless you truly understand the inner workings of it, and that applies to both the world and code. Lastly, pay it forward, because doing so makes all the difference…
Has coding made you more confident?
I joined a coding program at my school called Code Scholar.ly and I am the only girl. Without the tips, lessons, and explanations I received from , I would never have had the confidence to join because I would have thought that coding is not a field that people like me join. Also, it is cool to know that people do not think I am a coder; I like surprising the misinformed.
Interested in learning how to code?