It is almost the end of my internship with Girls Who Code! I have definitely progressed on my learning goals over the last 7 weeks. I was able to teach several lessons on the programming language Python. We created side scroller games, Django websites, and a social network! There is such a great community of young women in our classroom. The girls have really built a sisterhood, and as a teacher, it is amazing to see it flourish.
But of course managing a classroom of 40 girls is no easy task. There are always problems that arise, but our teaching staff has communicated and worked through these problems efficiently and succinctly. Every week, our site lead comes in to check on us and to give us critical feedback. This has been extremely helpful in monitoring my growth as a teacher. Right now, we are working on our final projects. Each team is building something they are passionate about and can have a social impact. One of the teams is building an Arduino robot that detects incoming motion for blind people. Another group is building a game that brings awareness to depression.
Working with Girls Who Code has developed me into a female leader and a woman who is breaking gender standards. Every day I am a mentor to 40 girls who look up to me as a woman in tech. I constantly have to show the girls that it is possible to be a successful woman in this industry and that they have the intelligence and confidence to debug the gender gap.
Through this, I have learned how to be a mentor and a leader. I have developed better public speaking and large group management skills. As I go forth through this internship, I will be able to apply these skills to the organizations I work with. I am the president of Women in Tech at Tulane, and I need to be able to once again lead women in technology. Even in my future career, I will need these skills to become a successful woman in this gender bias industry.
Although my internship is about to end, I know I have made a great impact on my students. They have definitely changed the person I am today. I am so grateful for this internship opportunity. I will carry these skills and memories with me for the rest of my life.
