Photos courtesy of Pamel Joseph
At Ohio State’s Lima campus, career development manager Rachel Richardson doesn’t just help undergraduates figure out their passions. By creating a local club of the international organization Girls Who Code, she inspires students to pursue careers in STEM-related fields when they grow up.
Particularly geared towards young women, Girls Who Code aims to close the widening gender gap in the computer science field through free summer programs and after-school clubs. Although it is predicted that by 2020 only 3 percent of the 1.4 million available computer science jobs will be held by women, this organization interacts with students while they’re
young to fight that statistic.
With the help of two Lima faculty members and two college students, Richardson leads one such club for 20 young students. Using the free, online resources that Girls Who Code provides, Richardson is able to design a curriculum based on the interests and goals of club members.
Last cycle, the club learned to code with the goal of creating a service project. The students chose to create a peer-to-peer online study guide, divided up by subject and grade level in order to help younger students learn and review from home. This year, club members decided to learn JavaScript, a programming language, and then create individual projects based on that program.
“The main goal of the club is really to reach more girls, to build that confidence, to give them a skill set that they can try out,” Richardson says. “Show them the career possibilities that they can have for themselves and just help them in their learning process.”
Although much of the material taught via the club can be found online in open educational resources such as Kahn Academy, Richardson says students still recognize the value of attending the club where they can socialize with other students and dedicate specific time to learning how to code.
Richardson is also particularly proud of the group’s growing diversity. Despite the moniker “Girls Who Code,” all students are welcome to participate, and this year 2 boys are involved in OSU Lima’s club.
“We have more diversity this year,” says Richardson. “I’m so pleased that everyone feels included, from boys to girls of all backgrounds. In a rural area like Lima, Ohio, I’m pleased that our club is aligned with the initiative of what Girls Who Code is.”
Get inspired by the international organization at girlswhocode.com and keep up with Girls Who Code Lima by visiting lima.osu.edu/community-outreach/girls-who-code.html.
Maggie Ash is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
