Today we’d like to introduce you to Isabella Maki, Dottie Lee and Mary Ann Maki.
Isabella, Dottie and Mary Ann, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Young girls are change agents.” – Reshma Saujani, Founder of Girls Who Code. Watching Isabella’s interest in starting a coding club go from an idea to an actual working community club, I am convinced this is true. It was so exciting to see the Fox Valley Girls Coding Club (FVGCC) launch in 2016.
With two dedicated, highly accomplished Software Developers, Dottie Lee and Robin Schroeder, as instructors we have provided 40+ hours of free computer science education to 25 girls from 7 different high schools in the Fox Valley Area for the last 2 1/2 years. Each week we meet at 25N Coworking, a coworking space in Geneva, IL. These girls are learning about coding, collaborating, and expanding their vision of what their future careers may look like with these newly gained skills. The group continues to grow in their numbers and their abilities.
Each month, the group works on coding projects learning HTML, CSS, PHP, JavaScript, Mobile Programming, Gadget and IOT exploration, Gaming, and more. Additionally, FVGCC holds monthly web chats with professionals from across the tech sector. The girls have heard from CEOs, cybersecurity and programming specialists, entrepreneurs, and more.
As the club continues to grow, girls that began in 2016 are now mentoring newer members. It is great to see girls working together to share knowledge and enthusiasm for coding. In 2020, there will be 1.4 million jobs in the computing industry and women are slated to fill just 3%. At FVGCC, we want to not only help tackle gender parity in tech but get girls excited about the possibility of tech as a career while ensuring they are confident in their abilities to enter the field and be successful. In most school districts, high schools only offer a very sparse selection of Computer Science courses.
Therefore, girls have often not been exposed to computer science in a meaningful way prior to declaring a major in their Freshman year in college. By supplementing what is available in high schools through FVGCC, girls are learning CS in a supportive, encouraging, and motivating environment. As a result, we are graduating girls who have been accepted into CS programs at University of Illinois, DePaul, and more.
Additionally, we have members who are going on to pursue business, education or other majors, but will now minor in CS as a result of involvement in FVGCC. We are looking forward to continuing to provide girls with opportunities to take their rightful place at the tech table while also ensuring that any girl who is interested in learning to code can find out that it is a fun and powerful skill to have!
Has it been a smooth road?
Starting a club from scratch for high school girls was not easy. First, high schoolers now are very busy! So, finding a time that the group could meet for 2 hours on a weekly basis was a challenge. Ultimately, we settled on Friday evenings, which shows how committed our members and instructors are to learning and teaching coding.
Additionally, it was a challenge to find a central meeting location. The area high schools were not able to provide meeting space and advisors so Isabella turned to the community. She was able to connect with 25N Coworking who have worked with FVGCC to provide a meeting space that meets the group’s technical needs while helping to minimize the required financial output of renting space. This has ensured that FVGCC can be open to all high school girls with no financial barriers to any girl wanting to learn to code.
Next, FVGCC was lucky enough to receive the support of two exceptional volunteer instructors. The group could not continue without the commitment of Dottie and Robin. They are not only available to the girls for the 2 hours a week, but have assisted them on solving bugs in programs for AP Computer Science courses at their high schools, have provided recommendations for the girls for scholarship and college applications, and just find very cool coding projects and ideas to challenge and educate the girls.
The success of FVGCC has only been possible through the support of individuals and companies who have partnered with us to provide space, time, mentoring, and more. This club has been a lesson for Isabella and the other girls that if you can’t find what you are looking for within your own high school, you can reach out and find support in the community and find others who share your passion and desire to learn something new.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
While FVGCC believes that everyone, not only girls, should have the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of software development, we also recognize that there is a long-standing marked imbalance in the ratio of men/women in technology. With two seasoned, female software developers as instructors, the Fox Valley Girls Coding Club aims to provide an environment in which girls can explore not only the tenets of well-written code but the real-world process required to deliver software projects as well as an understanding of computer hardware.
The FVGCC mission is: Educating, inspiring, and equipping high school girls with the skills, resources, and confidence to pursue opportunities in computing fields. We are most proud of the fact that we are contributing to girls feeling confident in their abilities to compete in any major and any field once they graduate high school and move on to college and/or careers. The world is becoming more reliant on tech and it is important that girls not only know how to use tech, but how to create and build what they want to see and use.
Tech plays a role in every field so by educating girls in coding, FVGCC ensures that we are helping to create opportunities for girls.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I believe success can vary day by day. But, if you are able to do something you love and find fulfilling, that is success. If you help someone else each day and are kind to others, that is success. If you can educate and motivate the next generation, that is success. I define success as working hard, being a part of a community, spreading positivity, kindness, and compassion, and always learning – everyday learning.
With regards to FVGCC, success has been seeing this club go from Isabella learning what coding was while watching Project Runway to seeing high school girls meet on Friday nights for the last 2 1/2 years to learn a skill that is not required by a syllabus at their high school. It is contributing to the betterment of the Fox Valley community and seeing women helping foster the success of the next generation of women.
Contact Info:
- Website: foxvalleygirlscodingclub.com
- Email: fvgcc12@gmail.com
- Instagram: @fvgcc12
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fox-Valley-Girls-Coding-Club-1687263721538664/
- Twitter: @fvgcc12
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
