GO. FOR. IT.

Hello Hackergal Community! My name is Shauna-Lee and I am a recent graduate of Featherston Drive P.S currently going to grade nine. My passion is in the arts and creativity. Dreaming is what sparks my imagination and I love creating something from nothing. I am also interested in sports and in the past, I have participated in every sports team at Featherston. If I could choose the soundtracks that best represent my life, it would be ‘In My Blood’ by Shawn Mendes and ‘Breathin’ by Ariana Grande.

I first started coding with Hackergal in 2018, when I was 12 yrs old and had just started Grade 7. I got involved in Hackergal through a club offered to gr. 7–8s at my school. The very first and only Hackathon I participated in so far was located at Parliament Hill.

I found it was challenging, but yet fun! I worked along with two girls whose first language was not English but we communicated perfectly together! I am still amazed how, through code, we were able to connect at the same level and understood each other’s views.

I specifically remember, during the event, I was having trouble with my ‘x’ and ‘y’ directions, I had to guess which number would work with where I wanted my characters to go. After the event, I presented our work to our class and the ‘x’ and ‘y’ coordinates were all wrong! I was so frustrated because it worked previously. But, it was at that moment, that I realized I really did love coding — I love the problem-solving aspect of coding and the frustration that goes into finally making something so beautiful.

I was also able to participate in Hackergal Day more recently in June 2020. I presented alongside two others and we spoke about the gender gap and what Hackergal is doing to shrink this gap. I was so nervous that day, but when it was my turn to speak, I knew how chill Hackergals are and I just went for it!

In the end, it was an amazing experience and convinced me that I wanted to continue on my coding adventure with Hackergal.

What I love about technology is how many different functions it has in our lives and how customizable it is — you can create something entirely different using your imagination as the key!

Being a Hackergal Ambassador is important because, more than anything, we learn independence. It challenges us and keeps pushing us, it teaches us empowering qualities we need to succeed and surpass the limits and expectations life may present us.

I want to be a role model for other girls because I can relate to them and I want to show them that we can accomplish anything. We can all flourish just the same as anyone else in the “big leagues”, we just have to GO. FOR. IT!