A Competition that is Changing the Face of Tech
CSforALL’s Member, Code/Art, highlights, an only for girls, CodeYourself Competition that allows young girls around the nation to change people’s perception of what a coder looks like by “coding yourself”.
Women today earn only 18% of computer science (CS) bachelor’s degrees in the United States, down from 37% in 1984. This is even more striking knowing that, during that same period of time, the percentage of female undergraduates in this country rose from 53% to 57% and demand for computer science skills continued to outpace supply.
So why the big drop in women earning CS degrees while the overall number of women earning college degrees and demand for CS skills were both increasing? Three things changed in the early 1980s that led to this trend: 1) early access increased for boys over girls when personal computers came out and were marketed almost exclusively to men, 2) depictions of programmers began to be almost exclusively male, and 3) the then emerging stereotype of programmers being anti-social math nerds. These factors continue to discourage many young women from studying computer science to this day.
I (Amy Austin Renshaw) founded Code/Art to change that. Our art-infused coding programs make computer science more accessible to girls at a younger age and show them that coding can be creative and social and that it isn’t just for top math students. We have weekly coding clubs for girls in grades 3–8, provide curriculum and training to K-12 schools so their STEAM teachers — even art teachers — can introduce coding to all students in a fun and creative way, and run CS events and coding competitions. My favorite Code/Art competition is our national CodeYourself competition for girls in grades 3–12 that takes place each school year. I love this competition because it is easy enough for first-time coders, interesting enough for more experienced coders, and literally changes people’s perception of what a coder looks like!
This year’s challenge was to code yourself in your community. One of entries that I was most impressed by was from Isabella, a 7th grader from Miami, whose coded self-portrait captures not only the place (Miami), but also the feeling of being a kid isolated and studying from home during the pandemic. This feeling is conveyed through the facial expressions, head tilt, and headphones — all created through coding! Isabella shared…
“My inspiration for this artwork was Miami. Since I had trouble focusing inside during online classes, I took my classes outside and noticed how nice it was. So, I decided on a painting with a palm tree in the background since it best represents my city. To code this artwork, I used various functions such as the “beginShape();” and “endShape();” functions paired with “vertex();” and “curveVertex();” to make more complex figures. From 3rd grade up until 5th grade, I loved making games in programs like MIT’s Scratch, and Kano’s HackMinecraft, but I [stopped coding in 6th grade when I] prioritized art. When my art teacher said that we’d be making a project for Code/Art, I was hooked. Overcoming these challenges made me more confident in my coding skills and I’ve regained [my earlier] passion and motivation. I plan to continue to develop my skills and be able to use different coding languages to turn my greatest imaginations into reality.”
Code/Art’s CodeYourself competition also fosters parental involvement, which research shows is key to encouraging girls’ interest and participation in computer science. The parents of a 3rd grade finalist from California actually had a cake made with the likeness of their daughter’s coded self portrait when they learned she was the Western/Rocky Mountain Grade 3–5 regional winner.
Another parent wrote to us that helping her daughters with her coded self portrait gave her the courage to try something new:
“I was always interested in Computer Science, but I never pursued it because I didn’t feel like I belonged and wasn’t good enough at math. When [my daughter] began to show interest in coding, I knew I wanted to encourage her, but I was so worried I wouldn’t know how. When she decided to do the self-portrait competition last year, it became an opportunity for both of us to try something new together and challenge ourselves.” — Cyntianna Ortega
This year both of Cyntianna’s daughters entered the Code/Art coding competition, and she shared with us a photo of the two girls watching the virtual awards ceremony from home.
On this last day of Women’s History month, I invite everyone to view Code/Art’s 2021 CodeYourself finalists in our virtual reality (VR) art gallery. Leave your microphone on, so you can chat with other gallery goers as you view these NextGen female coders!
About Code/Art: Code/Art is a non-profit whose mission is to increase the number of girls studying computer science by delighting and inspiring them with the creative possibilities of computer programming. We strive to put young women on track for future tech careers by providing welcoming early coding programs that focus on art, creativity and social good.
Founded in January of 2016, we have reached over 6,000 girls to date with our programs that include weekly virtual and in-person coding clubs for girls in grades 3–9, annual coding competition for girls in grades 3–12, professional development for K-12 STEAM teachers, and Code/Art Fest, our annual K-12 STEAM coding conference for girls, educators and parents.
