This summer, 20 high school girls joined us at Workday as part of the Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program. When I saw what the girls accomplished in less than seven weeks, I literally got goosebumps. Their projects demonstrated an impressive level of self-awareness and social awareness, and the entire experience gives me a lot of hope about the next generation of software engineers.
Among the prototypes they developed: FitFriendz, an interactive web site that encourages kids to limit screen time and play outside, and Ups and Downs, a game that raises awareness about the stigma of failure. The girls wrote in their project plan for Ups and Downs, “In our society we place a great emphasis on success, but very rarely do we acknowledge failure as an important part of this journey.”
Securing more future engineers is an important goal of Girls Who Code, a non-profit organization working to close the gender gap in technology. This year, its Summer Immersion Program served 1,560 high school girls nationwide and included $1 million in educational scholarships.