Supporting our Daughters on their Coding Journeys
Our hackathon program is run by teachers and our mission is to inspire the girls…but what about Hackergal’s parents?
From province to province, our parent champions have become enthusiastic cheerleaders for our program. They inspire their daughters to go further in their learning and continue their coding journey beyond the classroom.
To bring this to life, this blog entry tells the story of a mother and a daughter who joined Hackergal last year and showcases their journey together.
Qian is a proud parent of Marissa, a Grade 6 student at Sir Isaac Brock Public School in Upper Grand District School Board. She shared her story with us:
One day, my daughter, Marissa, came home from school with a form and she was so excited. She told me, “Mom, please sign this form, my old teacher Mr. Alton will be running a program for Grade 6 girls, and I want to join it.”
“What kind of program is it?” I inquired. Marissa told me that it’s for a program called Hackergal that helps girls to learn how to code.
That was the first time I heard about this program. I thought it sounded like an interesting, knowledgeable, and good program. I signed the form and hoped my daughter would learn something new and be challenged by it.
That next Wednesday, Marissa came home and told me they had their first meeting. Coding wasn’t hard for her and it was fun. I told her that this was just the beginning and I encouraged her to continue coding!
Over the past few months, she would race to her computer to continue her coding projects at home. I would always hear about how she was helping her classmates and friends at school. She felt proud of herself and I felt proud of her.
As a parent, I think that we should help our kids find what they are passionate about and what they will continue to do. I’m grateful for Mr. Alton and how he introduced Hackergal’s program at my daughter’s school and gave my daughter the chance to be part of it.
Marissa, Qian’s daughter and a new Hackergal participant, also told us all about her experience after that first day of learning to code with Hackergal.
“What surprised me about coding is the fact that when you get in the flow and start knowing what to do, it becomes easier and less hard as time goes by. Now I want to learn code because it interests me — plus it’s fun, creative and has no boundaries. Coding helps me with problems and prepares me for the future and what challenges would come.
I would describe Hackergal as a learning experience and a time to try new things. It’s a time to connect with peers that enjoy it and break away from your usual group. Hackergal is helping me to gain more courage and pride in my work, and showing me real-life situations and how to solve them.
To be a Hackergal means that you are helping the percentage of girls who code to catch up with percentage of boys who code. You are participating in an organization that is trying to get more girls to learn coding!
Being a coder means I’m learning how to code and helping myself when I get older and more technology is being used. Also, I learned how to code so I can help younger kids and teach them how to code too. I think anyone can be a coder because it’s their choice if they want to or not. In my opinion, coding isn’t only for girls or only for boys, it is for everybody and anybody that wants to do it or try it.
I see a future where everybody is using technology and everything is tech. Everywhere you see technology — cars don’t use gas, we go around on hoverboards, and there are holograms are everywhere.”
