Girls Who Code is a nonprofit organization that aims to support and increase the number of women in computer science by equipping individuals with the necessary computing skills to close the gender gap in the field of technologhy. The organization designs initiatives to achieve this mission, and in doing so has created a massive network of mentors and peers that are all actively advocating for each other’s rights and representation.
“That positivity and overwhelming support is something that I want to bring to Simmons,” says Eva Lynch '21, President of Simmons University's Girls Who Code College Loop Chapter.
College Loops are on-campus organizations offering monthly challenges for all experience levels focused on honing computer science skills that complement coursework, while also engaging members to collaborate and create with one another.
“Having this sort of environment at Simmons is the perfect way to build a greater sense of community within the computer science and math programs, and motivate one another to reach for opportunities within the Girls Who Code network and beyond,” says Lynch.
“The meetings are built around challenges that expose our members to valuable knowledge and skills,” explains Lynch. “Each month has a different challenge topic, some of which being PM prototyping, pitching, behavioral and technical interview prep, and hardware hacking. To stay updated on our challenge meeting topics each month, follow our Instagram.”
On weeks between challenges, the meeting space will be an open, supportive space for members to use as they need. Computer Science and Math students can meet, do homework, get tips for interviews and work practice problems.
“This club is an opportunity for all students at Simmons, regardless of their gender identity. Our monthly challenge materials are curated by Girls Who Code for a female-identifying audience, but the community we build will include and celebrate our trans and non-binary peers,” explains Lynch.
Given the high volume of hackathons, conferences, and general tech events happening in Boston, the Simmons Loop chapter will be compiling an events calendar and encouraging its members to attend whenever they can, often as a group.
“Given the number of colleges in Boston, a College Loops meet-up with all the nearby chapters is highly likely,” says Lynch. Another benefit of connecting with Girls Who Code is access to the immense network of alumni from the many different programs organized by Girls Who Code, College Loops included. “Fully leveraging this network is something that we’ll get experience with during our meetings,” says Lynch.
“I’m excited to meet new CS/Math students!” says Lynch. “We all have something unique to share, not all of it related to coding. Whether that be a python tutorial that perfectly summed up a concept for you, an interview experience that you learned a lot from, or an amazing album you discovered that needs to be heard, this is a great opportunity for sharing. I’m looking forward to bringing these diverse experiences together in one clubroom. I’m also excited to receive the swag Girls Who Code sends their Loop chapters. Free stuff and learning about all sorts of things there aren’t classes for? I’m really looking forward to bringing this to the Simmons community.”