Get to know the 'Girls Who Code'
Launched in Spring 2012, Girls Who Code is a national nonprofit organization working to close the gender gap in the technology and engineering sectors. With support from public and private partners, Girls Who Code works to educate, inspire, and equip high school girls with the skills and resources to pursue opportunities in computing fields.
Verizon is proud to support Girls Who Code's work to build a brighter future. Together with leading educators, engineers, and entrepreneurs, Girls Who Code has developed a new model for computer science education, pairing intensive instruction in robotics, web design and mobile development with high-touch mentorship and exposure led by the industry's top female engineers and entrepreneurs.
Reshma Saujani, Founder & CEO, explained that many of the girls who are part of Girls Who Code are taking two buses and two trains to come to class in the summer "to learn a skill set so that they can do something for themselves and their family. It's this type of commitment that is so inspiring to me," she said.
Coder Jessenia Aguliar, 16, explained: "Girls Who Code offered me new knowledge, a new perspective -- it offered me friends and people who just want to support me in anything that I want to do in computer science. Knowing that they're there encouraging me is a really good boost, and it just offers so much. The experience is invaluable.
Helena Martin, a 17-year-old member, added, "I think it's really helped in that it gave me the confidence to believe that I can learn this sort of thing. Going in I thought it would be really hard, realizing as we've learned a multitude of languages like JavaScript or HTML ... it's become really easy to learn these things."
Check out the video above to learn more about the amazing girls who want to be computer scientists when they grow up, and who are getting the opportunity to immerse themselves in the field thanks to Girls Who Code.
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