Thank you to Laura Willson for the blog contribution. Laura attended the Girls Who Code program in NYC and offers her perspective of being a young female coder!
My name is Laura Willson and I am a senior at Saint Jean Baptiste High School, an all-girls high school. I am Latina and I am the middle child of 8. My coding interest began last year when I attended the Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program. There I learned how to code in a variety of programming languages, such as JavaScript, Python, C, CSS, JQuery, and HTML. After the Girls Who Code Program, I created a Girls Who Code club within my school to allow girls the opportunity to learn how to code and encourage them to gain an interest within the STEM field. I have also been part of hackathons in NYC as well as a coding program called CodeNow, which teaches high school students how to program and gives exposure to tech companies. I love to share my experience with other young women and inspire them. I am passionate about coding and I will major in Computer Science once in college. I am a girl who codes! You can follow me on Twitter @Willson_Laura97 and check out my blog: lauralynnwillson.com
I became interested in coding when my sophomore guidance counselor told my class about a program called Girls Who Code. She mentioned that the program involves learning how to code. I had no idea what coding was nor have I heard the term before. I applied for the program because I was up for the challenge. When I got accepted, I spent Summer 2013 learning how to code for eight weeks in different programming languages, such as JavaScript, Python, C, CSS, JQuery, and HTML. I also went on field trips such as Google, Palantir, Qualcomm, and Twitter. Hearing from other women in the technology field encouraged me to be part of the coding world.
Learning to code has given me the opportunity to think differently about technology and the world. Technology has really changed the world in many positive ways, such as finding cures for diseases and making communication easier. Coding has also improved my problem solving skills. I have learned that before solving a problem, you must start small and ask yourself what you want to get out of the solution. Coding has also helped me realize that frustration is your best friend. This means even if one piece of code does not work and it makes you frustrated, you know you can't give up because you will eventually get that one piece of code to work. Coding is important and has been important for a long time now, like centuries. Coding is problem solving and programming in different computer programming languages. A person who knows how to code can get any kind of career. Coding is not only for computers, tablets or even the xbox, but also for medical uses. It helps with many problems, and diseases is one of the problems that can be treated through coding. After hearing this, I thought about my grandfather, who died from the Alzheimer’s disease, and figured I can come up with a treatment that will help cure patients who have this disease. I would like to pursue a career in computer science or engineering. I hope to teach others how to code because it can create new ideas for apps and devices. Teaching others to code will not only make a difference in their lives, but also make a difference in the world.
I became interested in coding when my sophomore guidance counselor told my class about a program called Girls Who Code. She mentioned that the program involves learning how to code. I had no idea what coding was nor have I heard the term before. I applied for the program because I was up for the challenge. When I got accepted, I spent Summer 2013 learning how to code for eight weeks in different programming languages, such as JavaScript, Python, C, CSS, JQuery, and HTML. I also went on field trips such as Google, Palantir, Qualcomm, and Twitter. Hearing from other women in the technology field encouraged me to be part of the coding world.
Learning to code has given me the opportunity to think differently about technology and the world. Technology has really changed the world in many positive ways, such as finding cures for diseases and making communication easier. Coding has also improved my problem solving skills. I have learned that before solving a problem, you must start small and ask yourself what you want to get out of the solution. Coding has also helped me realize that frustration is your best friend. This means even if one piece of code does not work and it makes you frustrated, you know you can't give up because you will eventually get that one piece of code to work. Coding is important and has been important for a long time now, like centuries. Coding is problem solving and programming in different computer programming languages. A person who knows how to code can get any kind of career. Coding is not only for computers, tablets or even the xbox, but also for medical uses. It helps with many problems, and diseases is one of the problems that can be treated through coding. After hearing this, I thought about my grandfather, who died from the Alzheimer’s disease, and figured I can come up with a treatment that will help cure patients who have this disease. I would like to pursue a career in computer science or engineering. I hope to teach others how to code because it can create new ideas for apps and devices. Teaching others to code will not only make a difference in their lives, but also make a difference in the world.
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