Hello! I’m Kristi, a teacher for Girls Who Code at Pixar and I’m back again this week sharing the behind the scenes of our Summer Immersion Program. Here’s the inside scoop on week 2.

Tuesday

It’s time to scratch what we’ve been doing with Scratch (pun intended) and start learning about Python. Python is a big jump from Scratch so today was filled with difficult lessons and fun projects like Mad Libs and creating a Text Adventure game. Today was also the first in a series of weekly lunches the students will have with their mentors. Each student is paired up with one female employee with a programming background at Pixar. Since the students were occupied during lunch, Amanda, Rhea, and I used this valuable time to meet with Erin to discuss the upcoming schedule. After lunch, Danielle Feinberg came to visit us and spoke about her Computer Science background and what she does at Pixar. Talk about a dream job! The students pulled another prank on me, and it starts to seem like this will become a daily occurrence. After that, the students worked on their projects for the rest of the day. Amanda, Rhea, and I ended the day with our weekly meeting with our site lead.

Wednesday

The students didn’t get all the time they needed to finish their Text Adventure project yesterday, so I started this morning by giving them some extra time. We then had a panel of women engineers at Pixar, and they answered questions the students had. It was interesting to hear each of their experiences, and also to learn some fun Pixar facts. After that, I continued the day by teaching some more complex Python concepts, including functions. In my experience, functions are a big hurdle students have to get over, and I saw a lot of struggle with it. The majority of the students finished their projects by the end of the day, but I could tell their understanding wasn’t quite deep enough. I took note of that and decided we should go over it again the next chance we get. Again my students pranked me, but this time I got them back. Two can play at this game ;)!

Thursday

We did more Python today and the students created random generators of band names and Haikus. There were some hilarious combinations. Lucia Greco, a blind expert on technology, came to talk and really opened the students’ eyes to thinking about people with disabilities when designing projects. 

I continued with lessons on how to read programming documentation and how to efficiently use Google. Yes, googling is a real skill programmers need to know! They practiced these skills on a project using Pygame, and some of the students finished it by the end of the day. Again, they pranked me, and again I got them back. We’re all starting to have a lot of fun with this, and we’re trying to think of new things to do. 

Friday

As planned, I reviewed functions and gave students an assignment that focuses on how to utilize functions. I think this helped a lot and I believe my students now have a good understanding of functions. Before lunch, we went outside and played a game since we haven’t had many opportunities to do so this week. After lunch we got on the bus and headed over to MemSQL for our first field trip. The students got to tour a startup company and see what it looks like on the inside. They were able to ask questions to a panel of employees, and I was so proud of the questions my students came up with. MemSQL was kind enough to provide food and giveaways during the trip, so of course the students loved that. They had a fun time, but we were also able to have a serious discussion on diversity in the workplace, since MemSQL has an almost all male engineering team and that is something they are aware of and want to change. By the time we got back to Pixar, it was time to go home. Amanda, Rhea, and I stayed for a little bit to clean up the classroom, reflect on how the week went, and prepare for anything we need for next week.

“I find it really helpful to embrace a stereotype and then put my own spin on it. I'll admit I'm a huge "nerd", but I also don't view that as being a negative thing. I love coding and Star Wars, but I'm also a fashion blogger who loves to scrapbook and wants to learn how to surf.”  ~Kaylee Llewellyn

We’re ending Teacher Appreciation Week with Kaylee Llewellyn, a fashion blogger, avid scrapbooker, Star Wars buff and a teacher who codes. In our Q&A with Kaylee, we learned about how she deals with stereotypes and her outlook on failure. We’re definitely going to take a leaf out of her book next time we fail!

Q&A with Kaylee:

Which of your recently used emojis represents you perfectly?

💤😍 😋🙏🌊🌞

What's your favorite piece of technology?

My smartphone

What made you join the Girls Who Code movement?

I love being a programmer and my biggest regret was that I was not able to get involved in coding earlier in my academic career. I was really excited to have the opportunity to get to share my enthusiasm for programming with other girls and help de-stigmatize women in tech for girls who are curious about getting involved with coding.

What was the hardest part of learning to code?

At first, I found it challenging to be very creative and logical simultaneously when coding. Programming forces you to think outside the box about how you're going to solve a problem while also keeping you within the bounds of whichever programming language you are using. It took me a while to learn how to break down large problems into smaller, more manageable pieces.

Is coding creative?

I find coding extremely creative. Coding essentially sets up a task for what needs to be accomplished through a program and as the coder you're given endless possibilities of implementing a solution.

Did you ever encounter people who stereotyped you because you code? How did you overcome that?

YES. As a half-Korean female programmer, a lot of people would chalk up my being a programmer to me being Asian. I make sure to emphasize the reasons why I personally love being a programmer and also make my interests outside of computer science known. Personally, I find it really helpful to embrace a stereotype and then put my own spin on it. I'll admit I'm a huge "nerd", but I also don't view that as being a negative thing. I love coding and Star Wars, but I'm also a fashion blogger who loves to scrapbook and wants to learn how to surf. There's always more to someone than a stereotype and I think it's most helpful to flip those stereotypes on their heads to combat this negative attitude towards women programmers.

How has coding made you feel more confident?

I love knowing that I can solve just about any problem I want to. Coding teaches you great problem solving skills and that's a skill that most people lack. It is great knowing that if I put my mind to something, I can solve any problem I want.

Tell us about a time you overcame failure.

I still remember the first time I'd ever failed a test. It was in AP Chemistry, and on the first test I scored a whopping 38%. My stomach dropped when my teacher handed back my test and tears came to my eyes. I thought there was something wrong with me because I'd walked out thinking that I had done well. After talking to my teacher though, I quickly realized that I many simple errors combined with his strict no partial credit policy had led to my low grade. The most important thing that I learned was that failures are just a part of succeeding. On the next test I rebounded very well. Overcoming failures is difficult because once they are in the past they cannot be changed. It is good to think of them as learning experiences rather than indicators of talent or self-worth.

What do you say to the girl that thinks that coding is not for her?

I'd say don't give up! There are a wide variety of coding applications, maybe you just haven't found the one for you.

Who is your role model?

My mom.

What's the best piece of advice you've ever received from your mom?

Be brave and don't be afraid of taking a leap of faith.

How does code tie to your other passions?

I'm a huge fashion blogger - which is a cool way to tie technology into my passion for fashion.

“I wouldn't describe myself as someone interested in "computers.” I love solving problems, and that's exactly what computer science and coding is all about.” - Adrienne Shulman

Meet Adrienne Shulman, a Girls Who Code Club instructor, mother of three and a woman who codes. In our Q&A with Adrienne, she dispels the myth that you have to be a genius to code and explains why you don’t even need to LOVE computers to love coding! 

Q&A with Adrienne Shulman:

Why did you join the Girls Who Code movement?

As a women with a 16 year career in technology, I see the huge gender disparity first-hand every day. I read an article in the New York Times in April 2013 that mentioned Girls Who Code, and I immediately emailed to ask how I could volunteer!

What was your dream job growing up?

There is too much pressure to answer this question, and I never really knew WHAT I wanted to be. I certainly didn't want to be a programmer, though. I hardly knew what programming was when I was growing up in the 80s/90s.  

What was the hardest part of learning to code?

Nothing! It came very easily to me.

Have people every stereotyped you because you are a coder?

There have been several times when I'm in a work meeting and others in the room - men and women both - have assumed that I'm a project manager and not a coder.  

How has coding helped you become comfortable with failure?

Balancing family and a career is always a challenge. I have 3 children (ages 5, 7 and 9) and a demanding full time job, but making it balance was never as hard as it was the first year after my first child was born. I switched to a part time job when my first child was 1 year old and was able to stay in the game to keep my skills current, keep earning a paycheck, and keep continuity on my resume until I was comfortable going back full time. What's wonderful about coding is its flexibility; it's a job that you can easily do part time, from home, or at odd-hours. It can be perfect for balancing your home life and your work. 

Were you always interested in computers?

No, and I wouldn't even describe myself today as someone interested in "computers.” I love solving problems, and that's exactly what computer science and coding is all about!

What were your other passions growing up? Horseback riding, gymnastics, cheerleading and tennis. 

Do you think coding is creative?

Is this a trick question? Coding is used to create SO MUCH, from the obvious things like websites and apps to the physical world of robotics, medical devices, cars, film and media. Now, the internet of things is here! It's hard to find an area in life or an industry that coding has not helped create. Also, unlike math where there is often just one right answer to a problem, with coding there are many ways to solve a problem!

Who is your role model?

Sheryl Sandberg

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received from your role model?

Everything written in her book Lean In.  

What would you say to the girl who doesn’t think coding is for her?

I would ask her why and ask her what she thinks coding is. Non-techies seem to think coding is some secret club and that it's very difficult to learn. I imagine some coders like to encourage this air of mystique but I like to dispel the myth. Coders aren't coders because they are smarter than you; coders are smarter because they code. Anyone can learn to code. I believe role models are important and if a girl has never met a female coder in person and doesn't see women or girl coders in pop culture, it's hard for her to understand that coding could be for her. 

How can a girl who wants to learn to code get started?

The obvious answer is to start a Girls Who Code club! There are plenty of free online resources to learn coding, and I certainly encourage that, but the encouragement you get by joining a group of other girls in a club is incredibly valuable. 

What piece of technology do you rely on most?

My Tesla. 

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“My mother says, "Either you laugh or you cry." I like this. It helps me overcome failure. You can either accept failure and laugh about it, or you can cry and let it overtake you.” - Jennifer Gaspar-Santos

Meet Jennifer Gaspar-Santos, the Director of Educational Technology and Innovation at St.Ignatius College Prep in San Francisco, CA. She’s also a mother, a Filipina and a lover of curiosity. Jennifer could not say no when one of her students approached her to help start a Girls Who Code Club at school. She says, “It's that curiosity that pushes folks past the hard part of coding.”

While Jennifer never self-identified as a stereotypical “geeky” coder, she remembers always loving computers. In fact, she claims to have always loved computers more than ice cream. That’s really saying something!

Read more about Jennifer’s passion for code, her role models and how coding has helped her overcome her fear of failure in our Q&A below.

Q&A with Jennifer Gaspar-Santos:

Why did you join the Girls Who Code movement?

The movement speaks to me both as a female director in ed tech and as a female director who is also a person of color. It's not lost on me how much my role as a Director helps model for girls that anything is possible. We can leverage our identity to push the norms. I was also touched by an enthusiastic student who asked me if I would help start a Girls Who Code club on our campus. She attended the Summer Immersion Program and wanted that same experience to continue at the school. I literally didn't even have my boxes unpacked from summer break and she asked me to help get this club going. I can't say no to a student when they genuinely are curious about something.

Were you always interested in computers?

Yes, I remember when my parents bought me my first computer from sears and it broke. I cried and my mom was so sweet that she said she would buy me an ice cream to make me feel better. I like computers more than ice cream.

What’s the hardest part of learning to code?

Being graded on coding and ridiculed by others who know how to code is the hardest part. I'll be teaching an intro to design thinking and app development course next year and I'm committed to de-stigmatizing the idea that you have to be really smart to code. The biggest roadblock to innovation is fear and this same fear applies to coding. I think grades perpetuate the idea that you have to get an A in order to be a good coder. 

It's a horrible thought that coders were born with a coding gene. I prefer having the disposition to be curious. It's that curiosity that pushes folks past the hard part of coding.

Is coding creative?

It's an art, not a science. It's using text and logic and variables to create something that didn't exist previously. 

How has coding made you feel more confident?

Coding is like a super power. I know I can roll up my sleeves and learn to code - with or without formal training. The ability to create something that someone once told you only smart people can do is really satisfying.  

Has coding made you more comfortable with failure? Tell us about a time you failed and what you learned.

I don't think this form is long enough. #FailEarlyFailOften 

One instance I can think of was hosting my first hour of code. I had this grand idea of collaborating with our school library, our science department, multimedia lab and our social justice club as this inter-club block filled with hour of code activities. I had kids who didn't know where they were going, rooms were booked, kids eating cookies instead of coding, I had python going on my screen but some other kids on social media. One girl even got lost in the shuffle. It was disorganized. 

I even had one girl say, “This isn't for me,” which broke my heart. I was definitely biting off more than I could chew. 

I overcame it by naming it. I had to accept the failure. I had to embrace it and call everything I did wrong. I couldn't point fingers. I just accepted it. Once you accept the failure, you can put it in its place - behind you - and move on. 

Have you ever been stereotyped because you code?

I have had people stereotype me because I code. They think that I must also be good in school and be a complete geek. I actually didn't do very well in school. I thrived in learning situations that were experiential and, unfortunately, most of my schooling was so traditional that I didn't do well in those settings. I'm also not a complete geek, I'm a Filipino mother of two that happens to like to code. I like when coding brings together people of all backgrounds. It's not just for “geeks.” I think folks overcome stereotypes by debunking the idea that only some folks can code and by keeping curious, by embracing your interests and by letting your inner voice guide your curiosity. Forget all the other outside voices--it's just noise!

Who is your role model?

My mother and Lena Dunham are my role models. Both are feminists, both are amazing at their crafts, and both have made me feel so confident after listening to them talk. I don't know Lena Dunham personally, but I think if she did meet me, we'd be friends.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

My mother says, "Either you laugh or you cry." I like this. It helps me overcome failure. You can either accept failure and laugh about it, or you can cry and let it overtake you. I think the second you laugh at something, you strip it of its power. This piece of advice has also gotten me through roadblocks in my life as both a mother and a female director in technology. I like how it presents choices. It allows the person to decide the road they want to take. It makes me feel like I'm in control of where I want to go.

What would you say to the girl who says coding isn’t for her?

I would sit her in front of my laptop. Give her some hot cocoa and hit play on Reshma Saujani's TED talk on bravery and ask her if she still felt the same way. If she's coming from a place of fear, I would tell her that she's awesome and that there are lots of girls out there that feel the same way. I would start with an unplugged coding activity first to debunk the myth in her head that coding is too hard. If she's coming from a place of disinterest, I would tell her all the amazing things people create with code. 

How can a girl who’s interested in computer science get started?

Get started with unplugged activities. Use legos, paper and non technical ways of learning code. The best way to get started is commit to 10 min every other day, then build to 10 min every day then build to 30 min per week. Approach it like a building a muscle. Every exercise gets you stronger and stronger. 

What piece of technology can you not live without?

I can’t live without paper. Yes, that’s my favorite piece of technology. 

Which of your recently used emojis describes you perfectly?

I like the smirking face emoji. I'm half smile, half silly. Folks take themselves too seriously with coding. It's fun if you let it be fun.

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“I was a teacher before I learned how to code. I became interested because it looked like a skill that offered huge possibilities for being creative. I saw people making and programming robots and coding graphical animations and thought it looked like a superpower, a way to make magical things happen with machines.” - Erik Nauman

Meet Erik Nauman, an educational technologist - someone who works in educational technology - at The Hewitt School in New York City. He helped start a local Girls Who Code club to ensure that his students became part of the larger women in technology network. 

As part of Teacher Appreciation Week, we interviewed Erik and learned about some of his passions outside of technology along with his favorite parts of technology.

Q&A with Erik Naumann:

What was your dream job growing up?

I wanted to be an artist or a musician. 

What do you do now?

Now, I work at The Hewitt School in NYC in educational technology. 

Were you always interested in computers?

No, I really only became interested in computers in the past 10 years. Growing up, I was most interested in art, music, teaching, learning, and nature.

Why did you join the Girls Who Code movement?

I wanted to give my students the feeling of belonging to a greater community of girls in computer science.

Do you sense a fear or insecurity around learning to code from your students? How does being in an all female environment affect that?

In my experience teaching at an all girls school, I do see many girls feeling intimidated when they see code and are expected to work with it. However, there are many who also find it amazing and exciting to learn. I feel like those who get intimidated are seeing it through stereotypes that tell them girls are not able to code, are not good with computers, math, or science. When I teach, I expose my students to programming in interesting and fun ways so that over time they’ll see coding as a normal and thing to do, just like writing or reading.

Why did you learn to code?

I was a teacher before I learned how to code. I became interested because it looked like a skill that offered huge possibilities for being creative. I saw people making and programming robots and coding graphical animations and thought it looked like a superpower, a way to make magical things happen with machines.

What was the hardest part of learning to code?

Learning the basic, common concepts shared by many programming languages took a while for me. However, having an understanding of those concepts makes it easier to learn any new language I want to.

Did you ever encounter people who stereotyped you because you code?

People have made the assumption that I can make technology do anything because I can code. I have had to be patient in helping people understand what is reasonable and what is possible.

Has coding made you more confident?

It has opened up creative possibilities that I like to share with people, which has made me happier.

Has coding helped you accept failure?

I had a hard time learning to wire and program an LED matrix. It was really complicated for me and after a couple weeks I gave it up. But later I picked it up again and figured out how to make it work, and eventually it turned into a fun project that was very successful.

photo source

Is coding creative? How?

Absolutely! There are usually many ways to do something so just finding solutions to coding problems is a creative process.

Who is your role model?

Margaret Hamilton.

What’s your favorite piece of advice from your role model?

It’s not so much what she said, but that she considers the big picture in her approach to software development. She always thought about how it will be used and safeguarded to make it dependable under different conditions. That is how her software saved the Apollo 11 moon mission.

What’s your favorite piece of technology?

I love to work with Arduino micro controllers.

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“Whenever I bring up coding, people's favorite words seem to magically become nerd and weird. When I was younger, I treated the words like daggers to my chest, but now I've come to realize that there's nothing wrong having pride in your interests even if they aren't shared by a lot of other people.” - Phillip Pride

Meet Phillip Pride, one of our teachers who codes. Phillip is an avid gamer, crediting his Xbox One as his favorite pieces of technology. He’s joining our movement as a teacher who codes in order to ensure that computer science has diverse people working in it to reflect it’s diversity as an industry. 

Read more about Phillip in our Q&A below.

Q&A with Phillip Pride:

What was your dream job growing up?

I wanted to be a scientist.

What’s your dream job now?

I moved past being a scientist in middle school and decided on working in the video game industry as a programmer.

Did you always like computers?

Oh yeah, definitely. That's pretty much due to my love of video games. 

What’s your favorite piece of technology?

It's a tie between my phone and my Xbox One.

Do you think coding is creative?

Coding is one the most creative things I do in my everyday life. Being able to materialize the ideas I have in my head is an unbelievably self-empowering. Having my only true limitation be what I can come up with makes me excited whenever I sit in front of a keyboard.

What made you join the Girls Who Code movement?

The field of computer science has so many paths and options; it's just too diverse to not have the people working in it reflect that diversity. The Girls Who Code movement is giving a group of individuals who have potential do be great computer scientists a chance to show their stuff and advance the technology field to new heights and I am absolutely thrilled to be a part of such a movement.

Have you encountered people who stereotype you for being a coder?

Whenever I bring up coding, people's favorite words seem to magically become nerd and weird. When I was younger, I treated the words like daggers to my chest, but now I've come to realize that there's nothing wrong having pride in your interests even if they aren't shared by a lot of other people.

So, coding has made you more confident?

Definitely. Having the power to solve problems with the programs I've written is awesome and makes me feel like I'm part of a community.

Tell us about a time you overcame failure:

In my freshman year of college, I took a website and database class. The HTML and PHP portion of the class was easy enough, but using SQL to create a database and connect it to my website proved to be quite a challenge. It felt like everything that I tried to do to solve my issues were either completely futile or made my problems worse. It took a lot of trial and error and asking questions to finally get everything working the way I wanted and in the end my video game review website turned out pretty cool.

What do you say to the girl who doesn’t think coding is for her?

I'd say at least try it out. There's no harm in taking a course in school or trying out an online course in your spare time. If you find that it's not your cup o' tea, you can at least say you tried something new but, if you do enjoy it, then you've taken the first step in being a coder and that is absolutely awesome.

Who is your role model?

My best friend, Kirk Murphy.

What’s the best piece of advice Kirk has given you?

Keep grinding no matter how hard things get.

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“I wasn't fortunate enough to have the opportunity to learn coding in high school, so I would love to give that chance to others, especially young, intelligent women who do not know what they are missing out on.” - Jessica Zalzman

Meet Jessica Zalzman, a sophomore at Georgia Tech who is a Summer Immersion Program teacher. Outside of coding, she’s an avid runner and music fan. Jessica joined our movement of Teachers Who Code to give teenage girls the opportunity to learn to code, something she wishes she had when she was in high school.

Read more about Jessica in our Q&A:

Why did you join the Girls Who Code movement as a Teacher Who Codes?

I wasn't fortunate enough to have the opportunity to learn coding in high school, so I would love to give that chance to others, especially young, intelligent women who do not know what they are missing out on.

Were you always interested in computers?

I was always technologically savvy and my dad would always teach me things here and there but I would mostly use the computer to either play computer games or to engage in creative projects.

What's your favorite piece of technology?

The laptop because it is so versatile. 

What’s the hardest part of learning to code?

The hardest part of learning to code was working through those moments when I would get stuck on one piece of code that just wouldn't work. However, overcoming this always made it worth it.

How has coding made you more confident?

Coding has made me feel more confident in the sense that I know it is going to be a very useful skill to have in the years to come because technology is our future and someone has to be able to program that technology and come up with new ideas. It is nice to know that I have a coveted skill.

Has coding helped you become comfortable with failure?

I vividly remember a cross country race I was in where I was in second place going into the final half mile or so. The girl in first place was too far for me to see, so I somehow ended up taking a wrong turn and adding an extra loop to the race. When I made it back to the main track, I saw dozens of girls running towards the finish line, but instead of just giving up, I kicked it into high gear and used all of the energy I had left in me to power past about 30 girls in order to end up in 11th place. It wasn't the placement that I had expected when I was comfortably in second place, but I was proud of my choosing to overcome instead of give in.

Is coding creative? How? 

Coding is definitely creative, not only because there are so many different types of things that can be made through programming, but also because there are so many different ways to solve certain problems. The creativity and originality lies in the specific way each coder chooses to solve the exact same problem.

How does code tie to your other passions?

I am hopelessly in love with music. The main source of new music nowadays is through streaming and other types of technology. 

What would you say to the girl who thinks coding isn’t for her?

I say that she shouldn't knock it until she tries it, just like anything else in life. I had no idea how much I would love it until after I started coding in college.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

Always make some time for yourself.

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