CodeHS Student Journey: Leading Girls Who Code and Helping Educate Younger Students
By: Quinn Spurgeon, CodeHS Student and Girls Who Code Chapter Leader
Hi! My name is Quinn Spurgeon and I am a trans female student who is a leader of my chapter’s Girls Who Code club.
I initially learned about coding in middle school, but did not have many opportunities presented to me. Going into high school, I was hesitant to commit to a computer science class based on perceived gender norms. After advice from one of my favorite teachers during my junior year, I was able to fully embrace my interest in computer science and become a part of Girls Who Code.
Our Girls Who Code chapter is dedicated to educating more students about STEM and providing opportunities to help women and other minorities. We want to reduce the gender gap that is currently seen in the STEM field both as a career and degrees being pursued. I believe that the current K-12 school system lacks opportunities for people pursuing an education in STEM. Diversity and inclusion is an important first step to improving this.
Our branch of Girls Who Code seeks to address and fix this issue in our community by holding classes bi-weekly at both the elementary and middle schools. There is not currently a computer science teacher at our middle school, so Girls Who Code educates students about STEM by talking about robotics, computer science, and engineering.
I like prioritizing these bi-weekly classes because I think learning to code from a young age is important. It helps young people express themselves, allows them to try out something new, and prepares them for the future job market. It also helps change and expand the way they see their world and will challenge their problem-solving skills. During my own computer science education, I have taken several classes on CodeHS including Introduction to Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, and Intro to Computer Science in Python 3. I was able to be challenged more and more with each course and really enjoyed thinking outside the box.
In the future, I hope to pursue a degree in biomedical engineering and computer science. Specifically, I am interested in making advanced prosthetics that have synthetic skin and allow the user to have their sense of touch restored. I believe this advancement will help others overcome trauma and heal by eliminating the barrier between prosthetics and humans.
For those interested in pursuing computer science, the best tip I have is PRACTICE. If it’s a career or just a hobby, learning and practicing your coding skills will not only further your learning and understanding of computer science, but will also help you when you learn a new skill set. My favorite ways to practice my coding skills are through hackathons, creating a game, working through lessons for class or even trying out some things by myself. There are lots of ways to practice but in my experience, the best way to learn is to keep trying!
