The Final Projects
Girls Who Code impacts Los Angeles in the ways that it changes individual student lives. Girls Who Code inspires students to study computer science, or to integrate technology into whichever field they choose to study, as they pursue higher education and a career. While women are currently highly underrepresented in technology fields and jobs, they have so many unique and valuable qualities and perspectives to contribute. I believe that teaching girls computer science by teaching them more than just coding has the ability to change the trajectories of students by impacting how they make decisions about the educational future. I hope that at the end of the program, students in my class have been inspired to pursue technology to some extent.
Two reasons I believe that Girls Who Code is so successful in inspiring young girls is that its curriculum provides female role models and is project-based. Included in every lesson is a Woman in Tech spotlight, which highlights different female computer scientists. Additionally, the Summer Immersion Programs also involve many female speakers coming to visit the classroom. These women share both their personal backgrounds and their current jobs. By the end of the program, students get to hear from a wide variety of women who use technology in their jobs. As a teacher, it is fun to watch students become super interested in specific women, based on their personality, interests, background, or career. However, our greatest hope is that students recognize that there is not one specific definition of a computer scientist that they should strive for, but that the entire computer science field benefits from the diversity of people in it. Additionally, I believe the Summer Immersion Program is successful due to its project-based curriculum. This approach is so effective because it motivates students to continue learning and utilizing code to solve real world problems. Many girls are not naturally inclined toward coding itself, which makes it crucial to demonstrate to them all of its practical applications. Throughout the program, students are both learning about interesting projects other women have made and getting to make projects themselves daily. Eventually, the summer culminates with the final project unit, where students spend two weeks working in groups on projects of their choice.
In five weeks, the girls have come from never having coded anything and being intimidated of computer science, to having a vision for a project they want to see built. As a teaching team, we have also tried to widen their perspectives on the extensive impact technology can have and the way computer scientists can shape these technologies, and were incredibly excited to see the many ways the girls incorporated what they learned this summer into their final project brainstorms. The five final projects are websites about health and wellness, micro-aggression awareness, combating pollution, creating a safe space for minority groups, and increasing awareness and involvement in advocacy causes. This is a tangible example of how girls are using the Summer Immersion Program curriculum to advocate for causes that are important to them. For the girls, it is a small taste of creating a project that directly impacts their community of Los Angeles. For everyone who gets to view their projects, it is a small preview of what the next generation will be able to fulfill in only a few years.
Beyond inspiring students, Girls Who Code continues to benefit its students through its alumni network. The culmination of different Summer Immersion Programs occurring throughout Los Angeles (in 2018 there are programs at AT&T, Blizzard Entertainment, The Walt Disney Company, USC Marshall School of Business, and Warner Bros.) year after year is slowly creating this rapidly growing network of girls. Colleges and companies respect the integrity of the Girls Who Code alumni network. Girls who have participated in this program are recognized for having sacrificed the majority of their summer to learn valuable skills. The Summer Immersion Program is respected for the depth and rigor of content covered. The final projects leave the students not only with a large and tangible accomplishment, but also with skills in planning and executing as a team. This reputation can be especially impactful to the growth of an organization that is spread mostly by word of mouth and whose mission is to make coding accessible to students who might not access through their schools otherwise. For example, the majority of girls in my class heard about the program from a friend or school counselor, were the only girl from their school in the program (except for two sets of girls who found out they went to the same school), and had never coded before. Additionally, it can have a major impact on connecting students other alumni while in college and on connecting students to internships and jobs. Likewise, companies are lucky that they can hire girls who have a solid foundation. Girls Who Code has created a HireMe website for companies specifically looking to hire Girls Who Code alumni to connect with alumni looking for jobs.
The next generation of people entering college and then the workforce is extremely lucky for girls like ours - I, along with the rest of the teaching team and everyone at Warner Bros. who has been involved in the program, have been proud and encouraged to witness this all summer. The girls have pushed themselves to learn a challenging, but incredibly useful skill. However, regardless of if they pursue something computer science-related as a career, we know that they have coding, critical thinking, creativity, problem solving, and teamwork skills beyond the average teenager. They understand the role technology plays in society. They recognize that they will always be finding new ways to utilize technology in every field. They have demonstrated extreme resilience, and are gaining confidence in their abilities. They have proven they desire to use their skills and passions to benefit their communities. They are building a network of girls who share these skills and characteristics, and I truly believe their communities will benefit from them.