Meet Alicia Leathers, GlobalHack Summer Camp Director

We are so happy to welcome back Alicia Leathers in her second year as GlobalHack Summer Camp Director. Alicia is the glue that holds the camp together — juggling logistics, communicating with parents, managing staff, and making sure that GlobalHack Summer Camp is a fun and welcoming environment for all students.

Alicia is a St. Louis native who is a product of the St. Louis Public Schools District. During the school year, she teaches at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School. She just earned her Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership and Administration at Maryville University. Besides the hundreds of students that she teaches, she has a fur “baby”, a dog named Harrison.

We sat down with Alicia to ask her some questions about GlobalHack and her experience working there.

Why do you like working with GlobalHack summer camp?

It’s a great opportunity to be exposed to something I otherwise wouldn’t have any knowledge about. I get to work with kids of all ages, from all over the St. Louis area. It’s such a great enrichment opportunity both for them and for me.

Why is coding important to kids?

Learning to code is literally the future! As kids get older, there will be so many different jobs where knowing coding will be beneficial. There is such a high need for that skill. We need to prepare kids for the future if we, as educators, are doing what we are supposed to be doing.

What is your favorite part of about summer camp?

I love watching the presentations at the end of the week! It’s very cool to see how students have learned coding skills then put them together into a project. When students arrive at camp on Monday, sometimes they are shy and uncertain. By Friday, it’s so much fun to see the close friendships that they make and how excited they are to show off their projects to their parents.

What makes GlobalHack summer camp unique?

This summer camp provides every child the chance to successfully learn to code, regardless of their zip code and their prior knowledge base. It sets both them and their families up for success.

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As always, more information on our summer camps can be found here, and the registration is available here. Use the code MEDIUM50 for $50 at checkout! Questions? Contact Beth Casagrand, Youth Programs Director, at beth@globalhack.org.