By Talia Reiss
With such a diverse selection of clubs offered at Nyack, it can be difficult to find a space that feels right for you. Some students feel most at home on the athletic fields or the stage, while others find joy in helping or educating the broader community in one of Nyack’s many service clubs.
For senior Juliet Lovelace, the Girls Who Code club provides a welcoming environment that has helped motivate her to pursue computer science after high school.With her outgoing personality and humble approach to teaching, Lovelace is working to create a space that celebrates and welcomes those who are traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields.
Her work has ignited a passion for computer science in a group of motivated girls and non-binary students. “With Juliet as president, the meetings are always really organized and inclusive to all the members of the club,” said junior, Janice Yohannan. “A lot of us didn’t know much coding to begin with, but she takes time to make these really digestible lessons for us. These in-person lessons are usually what helps me learn the most about coding.”
I spoke with Lovelace about her experience in Girls Who Code and her ever-growing love for computer science.
What *is* Girls Who Code?
Lovelace: Nyack’s Girls Who Code club is a chapter of a parent organization whose vision is essentially to promote women, non-binary people, and people of color who want to learn about coding, programming, computer science, and STEM in general. We’re reaching out a hand to make STEM more accessible and show that you can do anything you set your mind to in this field. We also just enjoy doing fun things like puzzles and coding!
How did you get involved with Girls Who Code?
Lovelace: Ms. Dougherty, one of two Girls Who Code advisors, was my geometry teacher freshman year and she sort of looked at me up and down and was like, “um, with your whole vibe, would you be interested in this club called Girls Who Code?”.And I was like, “Yes, definitely, absolutely. I’m totally into that kind of thing.”
Why did Girls Who Code stand out as something you’d be interested in?
Lovelace: I’ve liked coding since I was pretty young. My dad is a computer teacher, so he’s kind of shown me the ways in learning technology and coding. I played with Scratch when I was really little and when I was in seventh grade I decided, “I want to go into computer science and that is the ultimate dream!” Luckily, I haven’t changed that goal since. I just really enjoy the puzzle of it all!
What does a typical meeting look like?
Lovelace: We meet once a week and typically we’ll have a powerpoint running with a little warm-up activity, something to get everybody excited. This year we’ve been focused on actually teaching a lot of coding because knowing how to code isn’t a requirement to join Girls Who Code! We’ll do a lesson and then end our meetings with a quick summary of a woman in STEM. We’ve looked at women like Robin Maxkii, Joan Clarke, Grace Hopper, and other great women who pioneered the field. Occasionally we do more when we’re organizing things like Computer Science Education Week.
Tell me more about Computer Science Education Week.
Lovelace: Yes! Computer Science Education Week was December 6-9 and it’s essentially a week to promote learning computer science and technology and coding and all of those fun things within schools. We saw this as an opportunity to not only further promote Girls Who Code, but also fill a niche in our school. There’s been a spike in knowledge around computer science, but it’s still inaccessible to a lot of people - specifically women. We’re trying to make it a very friendly and accessible thing to people whose demographics might not feel as represented in computer science and related STEM fields.
Who can join Girls Who Code?
Lovelace: The club is open to girls and non-binary students, particularly anyone who’s interested in computer science - whether you just want to dip your toes in or you already have experience.
How can new members get involved?
Lovelace: New members can come to our meetings on Wednesdays in Room 302! Or you can reach out to our advisors, Ms. Dougherty or Ms. Jacobson.
What’s next for Girls Who Code?
Lovelace: We have tech week coming up in March and that is something that everyone can participate in! Please do!