Juniors and Girls Who Code Club co-founders Claire Casey and Lexie Errigo said the club’s foundation based on cultivating confidence, leadership, and technical ability within girls is encouraging women to break the male-based mold that shrouds the computer world. Casey and Errigo said they started the club with the hopes that it would generate a community of girls with a common dream for STEM careers.
In addition to teaching girls the basics of coding, career experience specialist and club sponsor Shellis Farquharson said the club is keeping a heavy focus on developing assertiveness and community support for members.
“The mission of this club is to empower students in their pursuit of the Information Technology and engineering fields but also to recognize the power they have to collectively support each other,” Farquharson said. “It’s imperative that the connections and relationships begin now.”
Errigo said she thinks the strong community aspect of the club will pave the way for future growth.
“Our club is really about acting as a community and learning from everyone,” Errigo said. “We believe that the best way to learn is through practice and collaboration, and during meetings we sit in a circle to interact with each other and share knowledge.”
The club provides opportunities for members to develop their coding skills throughout the year, and Farquharson said especially committed coders even have the chance to seek internships.
“Dedicated members who attend meetings twice a month can improve their coding and IT skills immensely and even look at pursuing an entry-level internship or position,” Farquharson said.
The club plans on exposing girls to various career possibilities.
“Girls Who Code will expose students to career experiences this year including MITRE’s Young Women in Engineering Program, Women’s Leadership Conference sponsored by Cisco and many others as we ramp up next school year,” Farquharson said. “We also hope partner with Women in Technology and add opportunities for a mentorship program.”
For Casey, the club is about aiding girls on the way to their goals.
“I want to encourage girls to pursue their dreams no matter the obstacles that are in their way or if they are the first to do something,” Casey said.
Both Casey and Errigo said they plan on working towards careers in STEM.