The Sisterhood of Girls Who Code

Art: Olivia Wang

By SARAH CHESSER

I honestly didn't know what to expect when I signed up to join Girls Who Code. I thought I was going to be my usual quiet-girl self. The girl who just listens and never participates. But boy, was I wrong.

I dreaded the first day and was already regretting my decision, if only for the fact that I had to meet new people. “It’s gonna be like any other school day,” I thought to myself. Wake up at 9 a.m., go on Zoom, and listen to another boring, awkward lesson.

Yet, it was the complete opposite. As soon as I joined the Zoom call, it didn’t feel like a class at all. Everyone was in their room, either playing with their cat, hugging a stuffed animal, or just waiting in their pjs. As I adjusted to the casual feel, I wasn’t nervous in the slightest. I was actually excited.

When our instructor Sonny spoke, I instantly felt safe and relaxed. She didn’t seem like a teacher, but rather like a friend you could just hang out with.

It was so inspiring when she talked about growing up. As a child, she suffered from severe social anxiety. I could see myself in her. Beholding the beautiful, successful woman she became, despite her past troubles, gave me hope.

Women are dramatically underrepresented in the computer science fields, where some of the most important and high-paying jobs can now be found. Many girls, like me, have an interest in programming, but can be turned off by the “boys club” atmosphere in some coding circles. Girls Who Code is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to help welcome us to the field.

At our meetings, we always started with a “sisterhood activity,” where we would either work as a group or in teams to do a random, fun activity. Through “Music Jeopardy,” scavenger hunts, and just regular chats, I was able to build a stronger bond with the other girls. Virtually. It sounds impossible, making friends through a laptop screen, but it happened.

After, we would review and discuss what we learned the day before. Some of the girls would help those who were still struggling with the previous lesson and just talk about their thoughts on the topics.

We had two big projects for the two weeks of the program. The first week, we had to make a Buzzfeed-style personality quiz. We were given the freedom to choose whatever topic we wanted and what questions we wanted to use. I was having so much fun, I didn’t even notice I was learning multiple new coding languages. I had no prior experience, but I was still able to learn HTML, CSS, and Javascript in just two weeks.

The second project was my favorite. We had to create a website to spread awareness for a topic we thought was important. I chose the stigma surrounding mental health. It was an amazing opportunity to spread the message of something I’m so passionate about. I’m proud of the website I created, not just because of the cool effects and color scheme, but also because I felt I was doing something important.

Girls Who Code opened a whole new door for my future. Before, I was considering a math-related career, but I had no specific aim. Being able to talk to girls like me who are interested in computer science was an opportunity I am so grateful for. Also, being able to talk to girls who have studied and are even still studying computer science was an experience that I’ll never forget. They all helped me realize that I want to continue coding in the future.

But the two weeks were far too short. In the blink of an eye, it was graduation day. I could feel tears forming. I didn't expect to cry, but seeing my instructor tear up struck something in me.

This was it. The end of an experience that I will never forget. Through the program, I not only realized my potential in coding, I also felt accepted, like I was part of a family. A family connected by many, many strings of code.