From CodeHS Student to CodeHS Intern — Meet Genna
By Genna Gams, a CS Student at the University of California, Berkeley
My name is Genna Gams and I am a rising junior at the University of California, Berkeley majoring in Computer Science. (Go Bears!)
I first became interested in computer science in high school when I took AP Computer Science Principles. It was exciting to have the opportunity to think creatively in an academic setting which is typically very structured. I enjoyed AP CSP so much that I continued on to the other computer science courses my high school offered, which included AP CSA and a Python course. All of these courses included curriculum from CodeHS. I learned about loops and conditional statements with help from Karel’s endless supply of tennis balls. The platform made computer science fundamentals approachable through visual examples, extensive video lessons, and quizzes to check my understanding.
After working through the CodeHS curriculum, I felt confident that I could apply what I was learning, and as I took more computer science courses in high school using different languages, I noticed the underlying similarities between them. Solidifying these core concepts through CodeHS curriculum made learning a new programming language simpler in the same way that understanding Latin roots of words makes it easier to learn foreign languages like Spanish and French.
As I progressed to more difficult CS classes in high school, I started to notice that there were fewer girls in my classes. This was disheartening to me because I enjoyed computer science and was worried that other girls were discouraged that they didn’t see themselves represented in the field. As a result, I started the Women in CS Club at my high school to create a space where my peers could learn to code in an empowering and approachable environment. When I decided to pursue computer science in college, it was not only because the subject was exciting to me but also because I wanted to show other girls that they could pursue it, too.
CodeHS Software Engineering Internship
As an intern at CodeHS, my projects involved implementing new web page designs for the site and improving the internal tools the CodeHS team uses. Specifically, I implemented a new design for the test cases tab on practice problems and exercises across the site. It now includes a progress bar to show students how far along they are in passing the test cases as well as a streamlined design that clarifies the results of grading student work. It was a part of the site that had not been updated since I used CodeHS in high school, and I was excited to contribute to such a critical part of the platform.
In addition, I worked cross-team to implement internal tool “hubs” which navigated to pages where team members could edit/add platform content, such as for the curriculum team to add new elementary lessons into the platform. While not directly user-facing, these internal tool updates enabled me to interact with CodeHS team members in different parts of the company and design my updates around their input.
When I got the offer to intern at CodeHS, I was excited that I would be improving the CodeHS platform using my programming experience sparked by learning on CodeHS. In addition, since my early interest in computer science formed while I was learning on CodeHS, I knew that contributing to the platform could inspire current CodeHS users to pursue computer science in the same way I was inspired.
Before interning at CodeHS, I did not realize how many options were available for me to pursue with a computer science major because my college coursework gave a narrow view of the field. However, while interning at CodeHS this summer, I discovered my passion for web development and web design. Some of my favorite projects this summer involved implementing new designs for the site and learning the intricacies of HTML and CSS. Hopefully, I will be able to continue to pursue something involving web development when I graduate college.
Advice for those interested in pursuing computer science
The computer science field is becoming more inclusive, but it is a long way from being fully representative of all groups who make it up. If you want to pursue computer science but do not see yourself fully represented in the field, do not be deterred. Be the representation you want to see and inspire others to see themselves as computer scientists. In addition, I have found that seeking out others with similar backgrounds and building a support network builds confidence and makes studying computer science more enjoyable. I am a member of a few women in STEM organizations at UC Berkeley and have received so much support and encouragement from them.
