Teen’s Organization Provides Girls with Computer Science Exposure

Bay Area teen Alexandra Roumeliotis, 17, is inspiring girls and minorities in computer science through The Coding League, her global organization that focuses on hosting engaging workshops that foster exploration in computer science. Recognized by the National Center for Women in Technology, she has worked to partner with numerous local and national organizations dedicated to furthering computer science education.

Programming since a young age, Roumeliotis hopes to provide girls and minorities exposure to computer science. “In middle school, I would spend my summers in my Dad’s office, where I was surrounded by technology and programming, which is a big reason why I was so inspired to learn to code myself”, says Roumeliotis, “However, not every kid is exposed to an environment like this that can foster interest in computer science. Most girls aren’t actively pushed towards computer science, a rate which is even lower in low-income communities without access to at-home computers and technology.”

In 2016, she began her efforts by hosting a technology technology drive at her high school, with the intention of collecting devices to be redistributed throughout the community to support local non-profit organizations. However, Roumeliotis soon realized that she wanted to take it a step further by working to inspire girls in computer science directly. “I feel like the way computer science is often approached in educational settings is very rigid. I wanted to approach it very creatively, and inspire these girls with the possibilities of what they could create”, she says.

Roumeliotis focuses a lot of her effort on reaching out to girls and minorities who aren’t initially interested in computer science, “I want to open the door for an interest in computer science by allowing them to experiment through collaboration and creation.” Roumeliotis continues, “My goal is not to teach these kids how to be an expert in Java in a single session, but instead to expose them to the fundamentals behind computer science and a creative and engaging way.”

Roumeliotis’ greatest struggle, however, was finding the best way to engage youth. “I noticed that at first, a lot of the students weren’t engaging with the material, and I knew that there was something that I needed to do. I experimented a few ways, and realized that the kids were most engaged when they were hands-on working and experimenting,” she continues “Last week, we held a Robotics workshop, where we allowed the girls to experiment and play with the robotics kits; by the end of the workshop, the girls were reluctant to leave. I noticed collaboration and a genuine curiosity among the girls, which is what I equate with a successful workshop. This experience taught me to listen and pay attention, as it can offer valuable results.”

“The majority of our workshops have been hosted in extremely urban areas.” says Roumeliotis “However, I want to be able to reach as many kids as possible. We have now initiated an ambassador program, where girls can work to impact youth in their community.”

On what’s next for this year, Roumeliotis says she has many more workshops planned. “We are also working on planning a day-long summit in August for middle and high school girls in the San Francisco Bay Area. We are working on partnering with a diverse group of organizations; I think it’s important to incorporate fields of computer science such as robotics and 3D Printing into the computer science exposure to demonstrate that computer science is not just sitting at a computer and typing.”

Although she is going off to college next year, Roumeliotis hopes to continue her work with The Coding League. “I think college will give me the opportunity to meet lots of new amazing people who are willing to help this effort.”