About Girls Who Code at Penn State
Girls Who Code Club at Penn State is a free coding club for local middle and high school students! During the first several weeks, students will be able to learn introductory coding concepts or expand their current coding skills. Python is the main language taught, along with other special topics such as web design and game development. In the final weeks, students receive one-on-one guidance to develop a project of their choice to showcase their new skills! Additionally, every week a guest will present a fun and engaging “Tech Talk” to expose students to a wider variety of topics in Computer Science! The club is taught by Penn State undergraduate and graduate students who study computing and tech.
Penn State Girls Who Code Club is open to participants of all identities.
National Goal
“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.” Girls Who Code National
“Girls Who Code’s vision is to reach gender parity in computing fields. We believe this is paramount to ensure the economic prosperity of women, families, and communities across the globe, and to equip citizens with the 21st century tools for innovation and social change. We believe that more girls exposed to computer science at a young age will lead to more women working in the technology and engineering fields.” Girls Who Code National
Learn more about the national organization Girls Who Code here
Our Teachers
Our teachers are undergraduate and graduate students from The Association of Women in Computing in the School of EECS of the College of Engineering. Here is why they are passionate about teaching:
“I want to be a teacher for Girls Who Code because I never had anyone to show me computer programming or even that coding was an option for me.” – Julia Jablonski, Freshman in Computer Science
“I started off my coding journey as a student of Girls Who Code at Cornell, and it changed my view of success of women in tech and formulated my love of coding.” – Alaina Strife, Sophomore in Computer Science
“I would like to show others that they can excel in STEM/programming if they persevere, work hard and ask lots of questions.” – Jennifer Gomez, Sophomore in Cybersecurity