THELEAVEN.ORG | VOL. 39, NO. 24 | FEBRUARY 2, 2018
YOU GO, GIRL
LEAVEN PHOTO BY JILL RAGAR ESFELD
Bishop Miege senior Ruby Rios helps, from left, sixth-graders Fiona FitzGerald and Lillie Switzer from St. Elizabeth School in Kansas City, Missouri, work on the group’s digital breakout project during a Girls Who Code club meeting. Rios launched the local branch of the coding club that meets weekly at Miege in Roeland Park.
Miege teen launches coding club for girls By Jill Ragar Esfeld jill.esfeld@theleaven.org
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OELAND PARK — Bishop Miege senior Ruby Rios treasures the empty wine bottle that represents all the amazing accomplishments she’s attained in the past four years. “I’m just so honored,” she said. Rios, a parishioner at St. Peter Parish in Kansas City, Missouri, was recently named one of Kansas City’s Ink magazine “30 under 30” — the youngest person ever to be included on the list. “One of the awards they give you is a bottle of wine,” she explained. “It’s engraved with your name and the ‘30-under-30’ logo.
“Everybody else got full wine bottles, but mine had to be empty because I’m a minor.” If Rios’ past is any indication, she’s a minor with a major future ahead.
A girl who codes Rios’ journey to notoriety began when she joined the Bishop Miege robotics club as a freshman. “I decided to take a course [at a Johnson County junior college] so I could learn some programming skills that I could use for my robotics team,” she said. Unfamiliar with the campus, Rios arrived late to her first class — and walked into a room full of only men. The instructor looked at the young girl in her high school uniform and said, “You’re in the wrong classroom.”
Rios asked, “Is this the class in coding?” “Yes,” said the instructor. “Then I’m in the right place,” Rios replied and took her seat. The course was so demanding that by the end of the semester, out of 30 students, only seven were left. Rios was one of them. “It was a really challenging class,” she said. “I got an A in it, and I’m pretty sure not everybody did.” The experience taught her two things — first, that she is good at coding, and second, that most girls don’t believe they could be. “There’s nothing that prevented me from doing any better or worse than those guys,” said Rios of her experience. “It was me showing up, putting in the time and being willing to make mistakes that allowed me to suc-
ceed,” she added. Rios walked away from that class with a determination to make sure other girls realized they’re capable of doing the same thing. Rios proceeded with the intent to pursue that goal with a vengeance — and the results have been nothing short of extraordinary. She has taught computer camps through KC STEM Alliance and worked with the organization to launch a local Girls Who Code club. (STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.) She co-founded a group called KC STEMinists, which has received sponsorship from the U.N. Foundation’s Girl Up campaign. When Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai came to Kansas City, >> See “DEAR” on page 6