Growing up in the Silicon Valley, I always regarded those in the tech industry as superheroes because of their abilities to transform the world through their knowledge, creativity, and work ethic. However, I felt nervous about joining them and I could not find many women with whom to identify. I read the “About Us” page on the website, I realized that even though there is a clear need for the perspective and expertise of women and minorities in computer science, these groups remain underrepresented. I have no experience in any computer science or coding, but I am excited to learn more with KickStart. I expect that there will be problems I do not know how to solve, but this makes me feel even more determined. To overcome the challenges I face, I will attempt the problem on my own, and if necessary, ask for assistance. I think that I would benefit from the encouragement by the staff and my peers. Most of all, after CS KickStart, I will …show more content…
This past summer, I was an assistant backpacking instructor for an all-girls, week-long camping trip in a nearby state park coordinated by an outdoor education nonprofit. For my role, I focused on being a conscious role model for the students who were in middle school. Throughout the trip, I passed down my knowledge that I had learned from years of backpacking. I kept my spirits up, even when we discovered that our first hike to the campground was actually three more miles than the planned route. To overcome the obstacle of the unplanned miles, I modeled confident, enthusiastic energy, which influenced others to have positive mindsets. By the time we returned to base camp, each girl had acclimated to the strenuousness and found a unique joy in nature, which I knew was partly due to my leadership. Seeing their self-confidence blossom was a proud moment for me. Through my experience as an instructor, I realized who I am as a leader, and who I could
Throughout the years of being a student at Council Rock, I have come to the realization of what a true leader is. A leader is not someone that just plans events, collects money, or shows up to meetings. Rather, this is someone that has a true connection with their peers, and has unmatched passion for what they do. With this, I can confidently say that since seventh grade, as a young adult, I have been shaped into an individual that fits these traits. Since that time, I have been involved in student government,
It was our fifth day in the Philmont Scout Reservation in New Mexico, the halfway point of the trek. I as the Crew Leader was responsible for the other 11 members of the crew, including 4 adults. I was in charge, and amazingly the adults rarely tried to take over, although they would strongly advise me what to do in some situations. Phil, with the exception of me, the oldest scout and the Chaplain for the trip, was my second. Together we dealt with problems of making sure everyone carried the right amount of stuff in their pack to who had to cook and cleanup each day. The trip had gone well so far, no injuries, and the worst problem had been a faulty backpack. As I walked I thought about the upcoming campsite. Supposedly this one had running water from a solar powered pump—so had the last night’s site but the tank was too low to use for anything but cooking because the of how cloudy it had been of late. But today was bright and shinny, and hot, so I didn’t think there would be a problem.
Just a few days prior, the Catalyst Color Guard, the team of which I am currently captain, won the Texas Color Guard Circuit State Championships. We earned the highest score in the 10-year history of our program after an incredibly successful season. What enabled us to succeed this past season was the leadership. As a junior and first lieutenant, I felt more confident in my own leadership skills and experience, and I was better equipped to serve my team this year. Our improved leadership style and work ethic improved our team as a whole. Our score increased with each
In the summer of 2015 I attended Camp Four Winds Westward Ho on Orcas Island, Washington. This camp is a non-profit organization that offers two month-long sessions for campers ages 10 to 16 with staff positions starting at age 17. This summer I worked in the barn for one month-long session and 10 days after that. I got up at six-o'clock every morning and I finished my work at the barn at six-o'clock pm. After I usually helped with camp dishes until 9 at night. I felt accomplished in working hard because I felt like I was making a difference to make the camp run smoother. Though after awhile it was challenging to even get up in the morning due to exhaustion, I persevered through it and proved to myself that I have a lot of willpower. I enjoy
I have been a part of multiple pep rallies and am a role model to younger students. One moment, in particular, stands out to me on how much difference I can make in younger children. My new cheer coach had asked if anyone would be interested in volunteering their time to help the middle school squad learning the cheers. Being Varsity Cheer Co-Captain, I was more than happy to oblige. It was a no-brainer to help out because cheer is one of my favorite things. As I laced up my cheer shoes, I glanced up, I noticed the fresh-faced cheerleaders who timidly walked into the gym. They reminded me of me at that age, afraid that they didn't have what it took to be a cheerleader. However, as practices went on, they became more confident in their abilities. Volunteering my time was well worth it, I got to see the cheerleaders grow into more confident cheerleaders and people.
Finally, our company should find some ways to boost gender diversity. In the third article “How to boost gender diversity in STEM”, using gender ratio statistics of 14 major tech companies Abby Perkins (2014) showed how serious of the gender diversity. Using ethos, Perkins (2014) mentioned the current trends in U.S. that only a few women are interested in STEM field. Consequently, to increase the diversity for real, it should be taken much earlier – in the education. Then he suggested several specific methods to achieve the gender
Both inside and outside of school, I make it a personal commitment to be a kind, helpful, and respectful role model to others, and I use those character traits to be a successful leader in my community. Kindness can be hard to come by in today’s age, so I pride myself in being a genuinely nice leader. A prime example of this would be my involvement with my dance school, the D’Arcy School of Irish Dance. While I have only been dancing for three years, I have taken the initiative to be a role model to the younger dancers. As being a Senior dancer, it is my responsibility to portray to other students the way one should act at dance class and performances. Instead of guiding others in a harsh and rather “bossy” manner, I instead choose to lead in a much more effective way. This would be
I have been a part of multiple pep rallies and being a role model to younger students. One moment, in particular, stands out to me on how much difference I can make in younger children. My new cheer coach had asked if anyone would be interested in volunteering their time to help the middle school squad learning the cheers. Being Varsity Cheer Co-Captain, I was more than happy to oblige. It was a no-brainer to help out because cheer is one of my favorite things. As I laced up my cheer shoes, I glanced up and I noticed the fresh-faced cheerleaders who timidly walked into the gym. They reminded me of me at that age, afraid that they didn't have what it took to be a cheerleader. However, as practices went on, they became more confident in their abilities. Volunteering my time was well worth it, I got to see the cheerleaders grow into more confident cheerleaders and
This camp is designed for children who have limb deficiencies or amputations be able to come together for a week of endless excitement and fun. I was lucky enough to have eight girls ranging from six to nine years old in my cabin. It was my responsibility to be a leader to these girls, show them encouragement, boost their self-esteem and never let them give up despite of circumstances. Throughout the duration of this camp I truly learned how to be leader and how to exert a calmness in stressful situations that is able to reinforce sincerity and serenity. I left the camp feeling more blessed than I could have ever imagined. These children were able to teach me things that I will forever hold close and that I am confident will make me a strong
Fields that were formerly male-dominated are actively recruiting women to diversify their staff. They have recognized the power of diverse thinking in business. Articles online explain how to recruit women in technology and science fields, among others.
In today’s world, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineer, and Math) fields is still predominant males and there seems to be a lack of females in these fields. One reason why women may not enter the field is due to stereotyping. The stereotype that most people in these fields are anti-social, nerdy, and must be super intelligent. Of course, the thought of not being intelligent enough, working alone and no one to socialize with and not wanting to be viewed at as a nerdy person can be daunting. These are all misconceptions of STEM jobs. According to code.org all it takes to learn coding is determination, as it does to learn most field. This is true for a lot of STEM jobs, it doesn’t require you to have to be smart before even considering studying in STEM related jobs, and it takes a lot of de...
During the three months living and working in America at an inner city, underprivileged, disabled and able bodied summer camp I learnt how to deal with stressful situations in unfamiliar surroundings, and I believe I equipped myself excellently in these situations through my own self evaluation and the feedback I received from the camp director. Because of my abilities I was chosen to become a head counsellor for an encampment. This entailed leading and planning all activities for the other 12 staff and the 36 children that were under my guidance. Any problems which should have arisen I would use the leadership skills I have learnt from coaching to help me get to a solution. Being at a camp like this has helped heighten my awareness of not only physical disabilities; but also the emotional turmoil that people occur, and how to deal with certain situations in different ways. Because of the close quarters in which I lived and worked, communication was a key aspect to make sure everything ran smoothly. I also had to be considerate of everyone as not one person was the same, from race to religion to swimming ability to reading ability, and I believe this has helped me become a well-rounded individual with compassion and understanding of all people and
My counselors built our schedule based on a list of girl-planned ideas--even accommodating outlandish ones like hosting a medieval jousting tournament. During our session, we developed courage as we shook our way across the monkey bridge. We developed confidence as we shot bows and arrows. We developed character as we sat in magic circles to share compliments and discuss interpersonal challenges. We were gently encouraged to try new things--including snacks like boob fudge--thanks to our counselors’ challenge-by-choice style. At night, the entire camp came together for all-camp theme nights and traditional campfires. On my last night at camp, I hugged my friends around a community campfire as we reflected on the experiences we had just
From the friendships they can make that will last a lifetime, to the distinct memories they have of campfire traditions, camp is laced with immeasurable meaning. The skills that children learn and practice at camp can become a part of their identity, and may even grow into passions that they will continue to pursue as an adult. Whether they want it or not, the songs with constantly haunt them throughout the years and though they claim to hate it, they secretly enjoy the reminder of summer fun and adventure. One thing camp taught me that I find of value today, is to say “yes!” to adventures and working with my team to accomplish outrageously fun challenges and
If people were asked what percentage of technological jobs are held by women, most would guess around 50%. But in fact, women’s involvement in technological fields has dropped significantly in the last decade, leaving less than 25% of such jobs being held by women. This prevents economies from developing and prevents communities from reaching their full potential. As John Kerry said, “No country can get ahead if it leaves half of its people behind. This is why the United States believes gender equality is critical to our shared goals of prosperity, stability, and peace, and why investing in women and girls worldwide is critical.” The lack of women in technology is a problem that faces us daily, but can also be changed daily. Unless