National Service Partner Feature
GIRLS WHO CODE In our last issue, we discussed how Girls Who Code, one of our National Service Partners, pivoted to virtual Clubs and “Code At Home” programs in 2020 to ensure that their participants could keep learning. Not only did the nonprofit shift gears during the pandemic, but individual instructors and Club leaders did as well – including one of our very own Sisters. In December 2019, Sofia Pascuzzo (Gamma Tau 2019/Lebanon Valley) was approached by her college’s Office of Community Service and Volunteerism to help run a Girls Who Code Club at a local elementary school. As a Digital Communications major, Sofia had some experience and general education in programming. The following month, alongside her co-instructor, Sofia helped start the elementary school’s first Girls Who Code Club, offered to 3rd-6th graders. It was an immediate success. “We were trying to cap [the Club] at 25 members, but there was a lot of interest, and we ended up opening it to 40,” Sofia explained. When COVID-19 sent students home to learn virtually, the Girls Who Code Club went to the back of students’, teachers’, and parents' minds. Yet, Sofia and her coinstructor were determined to continue their students’ coding. They decided to screen-record themselves going through the lessons. “We did that for about four weeks,” said Sofia. They uploaded the videos to YouTube, and the elementary school sent the link to the Club’s members. Thankfully, in fall 2021, Sofia was able to restart the Club in person with the help of two of her Alpha Sigma Tau Sisters. Although some of the original Club members had aged out, many familiar faces returned. “Coming back this past
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fall, I recognized some of the girls – they were excited to get back into it. And girls who might have missed the opportunity to sign up in 2020 were there, too.” she said. Interest in the Girls Who Code Club had not waned, with 40-45 estimated Club members. Having served as both Vice President of Finance and Chapter President, Sofia said her leadership skills come in handy in the classroom. “Being able to talk in front of your chapter versus in front of 40 girls is very similar - choosing how to say things that make sense, how to prep, and get all the information [to members],” she said. All of these roles also involve plenty of preparation. Each week, Sofia reviews the provided Girls Who Code facilitator and narrative guide, as well as videos and lessons from Scratch, the basic coding program that Club members use. “I go through the resources and facilitator program that Girls Who Code provides, and I review the Scratch videos and think about how to tailor them for the girls,” said Sofia.
Interested in starting or volunteering at a Girls Who Code Club near you? “Don’t be intimidated,” Sofia advised. “If you think ‘Oh, programming, I don’t know anything about that,’ you can certainly get involved and not know anything about [coding]. That’s the great part of it: they help you along the way.” Ultimately, Sofia has found the experience tremendously rewarding. “Watching girls learn and grow is very rewarding. In the Club, you can watch girls solve a problem and get so excited about it,” she said. “It’s a great way to get involved in young girls’ lives and help them figure out that maybe they want to do this for a living one day.”
It also keeps her coding skills sharp, which is important for her job search. Sofia explained, “[Girls Who Code] taught me a few things I never knew, like that this Scratch program existed. It’s cool to learn about those resources and new info in technology; that is invaluable.”
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