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Girls Who Code has recently joined the seemingly endless list of clubs that Niles West has to offer this year. This new club provides girls with the opportunity to come together and get a hands-on experience with computers. Girls Who Code is a place where you can learn how to code and get a feel for what computer science is all about.

“Girls Who Code was started to help lessen the gender disparity in computer science by getting more girls involved in the field from the start. That way, they can feel comfortable in an environment that isn’t male-dominated, since it’s going to happen in any computer science class,” junior and co-founder Elaine Tran said.

An important part of the club is making girls feel more comfortable in the computer science field due to the fact that the field is mostly made up of males.

“I started Girls Who Code to encourage and empower girls to feel comfortable to join the computer field,” mathematics teacher and club sponsor Amber Mosier said. “It can be intimidating since it is currently mostly males. I want to help them realize they will be able to change the world,for the better with their coding knowledge that will begin in our club.”

The club also demonstrates how coding is more than just solving mathematical equations and sitting behind a computer screen.

“Coding is more than sitting behind a desk and staring at a computer screen, it’s understanding how your computer works, and then using that knowledge to do anything on a computer,” junior and co-founder Priyal Soni said.

Coding is a crucial part of our lives, but it’s behind the scenes and usually goes unnoticed. Code is the power behind computers and other daily-used objects like your phone, car, microwave, and just about everything that uses electricity.

“Coding is like speaking another language, but one a computer can understand. It takes a little time to learn, but once you have figured it out, the possibilities are endless,” Soni said. “You can make small things such as a program to help you solve equations for math, making fun games like Breakout or Hangman, or helping out by making an app for the school.”

If you are interested in joining Girls Who Code, contact Mosier at [email protected], or just come down to room 1235 on Thursdays at 3:30 p.m.