Hi All,
We had a fabulous event today at Microsoft with girls from Rainier Beach High School and South Lake High School. The girls filled the computer lab to capacity to learn how to code! Most of them had never coded before! They were so excited and had an electrifying day!
After the coding workshop, Microsoft provided a splendid lunch, and the women volunteers shared their stories with the girls. They girls asked such great questions and wonderful discussion ensued. All had an unforgettable day!
There are so many wonderful people to thank to make up such a special day.
First, I want to thank our host, Aparna Vishawanathan, who makes sure each and every detail is taken care of. She gets volunteers, orders lunch, and secures us a computer lab and assistance with the lab. Everything is ready to go. We cannot thank her enough for her unwavering commitment to her role as Volunteer Coordinator and more!
Thank you to Ashley Myers, Teaching Kids Programing Lead Teacher. Ashley is the lead teacher in IGNITE TKP program and has been doing this as a volunteer for several years. She started the TKP program for IGNITE and her commitment is extraordinary! We could not do the program without her. She is such an inspirational teacher and gets the girls so excited about learning to code! Thank you Ashley for all you do!
Thank you to the Microsoft women who volunteered to mentor the girls today and also shares their stories. The girls just have to raise their hands and a volunteer will rush to help her. Besides helping them learn to code, you were so open and thoughtful about answering their questions. It is obvious how much you care about the girls. You were all such an inspiration to the girls.
Thank you to Kylie Hurd, Program Manager, Sweety Chauhan, Program Manager, Christina Quan, Software Engineer, Anastasia, Software Engineer, Ling Toh, Software Engineer, Prastiah Moodabetly, Software Engineer, Snesha Foss, Software Engineer and Audra Eng, Director of Development and Operations for IGNITE and 20 years in the technology sector.
Thank you to the wonderful teachers who are the IGNITE teachers are their schools.
They are such an important part of the IGNITE program and we could not do this without them.. We are so fortunate to have such amazing and incredible teachers in these schools. Thank you to Michelle Spencer, who teaches the GRADS program at South Lake for teen mothers and who has been an IGNITE teacher for 7 years! And thank you to Matt Holt and Brian Fleishman, both Computer Science teachers at Rainier Beach and new in their roles as IGNITE teachers. They were so excited to jump on board and be involved in IGNITE. It is because of them that we have re-energized IGNITE at Rainier Beach High School. Thank you both for wanting to do this role in IGNITE.
We are all so lucky to have you.
Here are the girls comments on their survey forms. I think hearing from the girls is the most important part of what we do.
This event inspired me by learning and never give up on your “ dream”. Grade 9
I now want to look into taking computer science classes. Grade 12
This event inspired me because we received the help from successful female Microsoft workers: we were able to learn and meet new people. All of the women were nice and humble. This was a nice event. Grade 11
I enjoyed the coding class and the Q&A made me more interested in coding. Grade 10
I enjoyed learning some coding and listening more about the types of computer/technology programs. I thought the whole thing was great. Grade 12
I really enjoyed hearing about the different codes. Hearing about the struggles and how they overcame them helped me realize if you put your mind to it, it can help you go forward. Grade 12
One thing that I enjoyed is in this event was when one of the speakers said she didn’t know what she wanted to be, and she decided computer engineering, and if its hard for you, you just don’t give up, and say I can do it. Thank you guys for your time. Grade 11
I was really inspired by learning everyone’s journey to success and everyone’s rocky road along the way. Because of this event, I want to go to college and become a software engineer now.. grade 11
I really enjoyed the event, it made me realize there is more to computer science then I thought. Also how computer science doesn’t have to be just coding. I want to take more classes. This event was great. Grade 10
I learned a lot, I learned coding is easy and that there is a lazy way to code. It will help me in the future too. There is no way to improve this workshop. Grade 9
I enjoyed learning about codes and figuring out how to learn to do them correctly and having help on the way. I thought this event was really interesting. Grade 9
Today was pretty amazing. Computer Science seems to be more easier since I take intro to computer science. It also made me interesting in making my career as a computer science engineer. I think more students should have this experience. Grade 10
I enjoyed listening to their stories the most today. This event inspired me by informing me about how things are at Microsoft. Grade 11
It was interesting learning how to code. I also enjoyed hearing all of the women share their stories and achievements. I thought everything was great. Grade 12
I liked how each of the women panelists gave their input on their experience with computer science and some of the challenges that they deal with as well. I also enjoyed the programming that we did on the computer today. Grade 12
I really loved how everybody shared their story. Grade 11
Some highlights are how there are multiple things I can do with technology. I realized how once I learn one type of computer talk, I can easily learn more. I felt really encouraged and want to continue learning about these career choices. Grade 10
I enjoyed this event because it’s really interesting and fun to do coding on the computer. It’s really awesome learning about people that went through all that and got them into the computer field. It inspires me. Grade 12
I enjoyed exploring new things and learning more about how to make technology work more. It made me want to learn more about computer science and technology. This event was great! Grade 9
I got to meet women who work at Microsoft! Also, that there are many types of positions in this field. I also got to make the tortoise move! Grade 10
Today was really fun. The event today got me more interested in technology and computer science. It was really fun doing coding, trying new things. Grade 9
The activity with the tortoise was interesting. Grade 10
Learning how to code was great! Grade 12
The highlights that I enjoyed from today’s event is learning how to write code on Microsoft and this event made me have a different look about technology. The event was perfect! Grade 9
I liked how to women helped us with coding, I learned to code and it was pretty cool. Grade 12
Thank you all for making this day possible.
Cathi