With six weeks of virtual learning already complete, some clubs are still struggling to come up with ways to meet and pursue their topics of interest. However, this is not the case for Mason’s new Girls Who Code club, headed by sophomore Victoria Lam. 

“I don’t think the virtual environment is going to affect it [the club] too much,” Lam said. “But, I do think it will make it a little bit harder to get help to everyone, just because we won’t be there in person.”

The club has already had two meetings and members can start brushing up on their coding skills using websites like code.org and girlswhocode.com.  

However, the club’s goal isn’t about teaching high schoolers how to code, it’s about encouraging elementary school girls to get involved with coding and computer science.

“I started Girls Who Code because I wanted to inspire younger girls and help them learn how to code because coding is such a good way to get involved in the STEM world. And especially for girls, it would be a great influence for them,” Lam said.

“It’s important to introduce them to opportunities that they might enjoy later, and to make sure that they are immersed in the STEM environment.”

Lam said that when she was a student at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, she wasn’t interested in coding at all, but this past summer, she began to learn the basics. “My parents forced me to do it,” she said with a laugh.

After a while, though, Lam said that she began to enjoy coding and feels like a lot opportunities are now open to her. 

“There’s so many things that you can do with computer science and programming.”

Lam said that it’s important to get young girls involved in coding and computer science because it lets them know that “it’s okay to like it.”

Also, she thinks “it’s an important club because it’s simply a good way to reach out to younger kids.”

Lam hopes that by introducing girls to coding, they’ll be able to seize opportunities that she wishes she had known about. “I feel like if I had learned how to code earlier it would have opened a lot more opportunities to me and I feel like I would have enjoyed it at a much younger age.”

And while Girls Who Code can’t start working with elementary students yet, Lam can’t wait until they can. “[Coding is] just this whole other different world.”