About Cornell Girls Who Code
The Cornell chapter of Girls Who Code is launching in December of 2015, pairing with Women in Computing Cornell, a student organization dedicated to expanding the community of women computer scientists and to sustain a supportive network in the field. The Girls Who Code club teaches girls in grades 6 through 12 essential computer science concepts, provide mentorship, and a community of peers with similar interests. The larger network of Girls Who Code has served 3,860 girls in 29 states.
The Cornell program integrates 3 parts to engage girls in computing:
- Skills — Forty hours of instruction in computer science including project based activities to reinforce concepts like conditionals, lists, and loops as well as skills like mobile app development.
- Exposure — Girls Who Code Clubs host speakers, coordinate field trips and engage with the local tech community. Girls Who Code facilitates exclusive connections where possible, providing unique opportunities to Club participants.
- Community — As Clubs participants, girls have access to this supportive and engaged network of teachers, mentors, professionals, and fellow students.
Through the program, GWC hopes to provide the resources and the community to support young girls in computing fields while also addressing the decrease in women college graduates in computing fields.