Girls Who Code Seek New Members to Diversify Industry

Photo Credit / GirlsWhoCode.com Girls Who Code provides many resources on their website for students interested in computer science.

Sean Mickalits

News Editor

ESU’s Girls Who Code (GWC) club is looking for new members to help close the gender gap in an industry predominantly governed by men.

The organization is enrolling students interested in computer science which began Feb. 8 and runs through Feb. 22, according to a university press release.

Less than one in five computer science graduates are women, and the gap is getting worse. The number of women who code has fallen from 37 percent in 1995 to 24 percent in 2017, but GWC is striving to change that statistic, according to the organization’s website.

According to the report, there are eight members in the club at ESU, and for a computer science major who wishes to help bridge the gender gap, the organization offers many activities and educational opportunities for students to enhance their skills.

Club members can participate in coding tutorials, community building initiatives and learn about role models in the computer science field.

This year they are working with girls grades six through 12 to inspire and educate computer scientists of the future. They’re also designing and building a “Girls Who Code Project” that addresses real-world problems using code, according to the report.

GWC is a national organization that has helped over 90,000 girls learn and enter into the computer science field. Their mission is: “to close the gender gap in technology,” according to their website.

The group offers a two-week summer coding course for girls ages 10-18, which includes an introduction to computer science, web design, app development and more.

In 2018, GWC introduced Girls Who Code College Loops, a university-level network for women who are majoring in computer science. The program offers challenges and new material in the field for university students, and it offers opportunities to meet industry professionals, according to their website.

If you’re interested in joining GWC and creating a more diverse workforce in the computer science industry, the club meets every Friday from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in room 355 in the Warren E. ’55 and Sandra Hoeffner Science and Technology Center.

To learn more about the organization, visit their website at girlswhocode.com.

Email Sean at:

smickaliti@live.esu.edu