This past fall, the Girls Who Code Club made its debut at Townsend Harris High School as a new STEM-based club that advocates for women in the field of computer science.
Branching from the international non-profit organization, Girls Who Code aims to address and surpass gender barriers girls often encounter when entering technological fields by promoting inclusivity, mentorship, and developing a beginner-friendly atmosphere.
When senior Angela Lin, one of the three co-presidents of the club, was asked about what drove her to start Girls Who Code at THHS, she expressed her desire to establish a club that welcomes all, beginner or not, to learn about coding and other technological concepts. “As co-presidents, we wanted to create Girls Who Code at Townsend Harris because we saw a need for a space dedicated to supporting and empowering girls in tech. Our school has a strong community of coding and STEM clubs, but we felt it was important to have a club that specifically addresses the challenges girls face in tech fields,” she said.
The club strives to maintain the principles of support for all and empowerment, steering young girls to become strong, intellectual leaders in tech. Angela said, “Girls Who Code stands out because it’s specifically focused on creating an inclusive, supportive environment for girls in tech. While other coding clubs at THHS focus on specific skills or competitions, GWC emphasizes building a community where girls feel comfortable learning, making mistakes, and growing together.”
These principles are also reflected in the perspectives of current club members who spoke to The Classic.
Freshman Sarah Yan said, “I decided to join Girls Who Code because I wanted to be in a girls-safe space and around those who are like me and have similar interests as me.”
Freshman Khondoker Jainab pointed out how the club is individualized and personalized according to students’ abilities, standing uniquely compared to other clubs in Townsend. “For Robotics, I know that there are many people in that club and there’s a lot of group work– whereas for Girls Who Code we can learn coding skills through the website by ourselves, at our own pace, and without prior knowledge,” she said.
Sophomore Livia Zhao who completed a Girls Who Code summer workshop, said, “It’s really women-representative, and I had a positive experience in it over the summer.”
Co-president and senior Leona Sahajalal said she has “experience with Girls Who Code programs outside of school, including their summer and winter workshops, where we learned coding fundamentals and worked on team-based projects.”
In addition to her direct encounters with other hands-on technological internships and programs like Kode with Klossy, Cornell Catalyst, and making an AI chatbot with a professor mentor, Leona plans to implement what she has learned into the basis of the club.
This year, the co-presidents plan to teach club members fundamental skills in several coding languages to help those ambitious in the tech field establish a basis for coding literacy. Co-president and senior Angela You, said, “Our plan for the first year is to focus on foundational coding skills in Python and introduce project-based learning so members can apply their skills in meaningful ways. We’ll cover essential topics like problem-solving, and basic algorithms, and work on projects that highlight the real-world applications of coding.”
When asked about what content on coding was covered during club meetings thus far, club members discussed the coding languages they’ve learned while expressing enthusiasm for future meetings and events. “So far we’ve learned some coding languages through the official Girls Who Code website and on that website we can do a lot of different things. We’ve learned HTML, and I’m really excited to learn Python and Javascript,” said Khondoker.
Leona plans to solidify the main principles of the club for its future. She said, “We’re planning to incorporate the stories of women in tech to inspire members and help them see the many paths available in this field. By the end of the year, we hope our members will feel confident in their coding abilities and have a portfolio of projects they’re proud of.”
