#VolunteeringRocks – Supporting STEM with Girls Who Code Club

You think you are looking at a crazy group? Nope, we are Girls Who Code Millbrae Club. We play hard and work hard! We break things and fix them quick!

At Salesforce, every employee receives 7 days a year to go out into their community and volunteer. I’m an engineer at Salesforce and my dream of becoming a teacher led me to spend my volunteer time teaching for Girls Who Code Club.

One of my colleagues at Salesforce introduced me to the organization and it makes me feel great to be able to share my experience with the girls and pass on what I’ve learned. Giving back is a core part of the culture at Salesforce and I feel that volunteering is part of my responsibility.

The first time I entered the classroom to volunteer with 20+ middle and high school girls was intimidating. I was so worried about whether the girls will hate me and walk away. Luckily, that didn’t end up happening. We had a great time exploring variables, loops and other computer knowledge by building little fun python projects together. We meet every Saturday and now we are halfway through the semester. The girls are still eager to learn and learn coding!

I can’t express in words how exciting I feel to work with the girls. They are so smart and passionate. I enjoy every aha moment when they shout out excitedly, “Aha, I’ve got it!” That reminds me why I got into the engineering field in the first place and it makes me cherish my current job more. It is rewarding to get to share my knowledge and experience with young women who are excited to experiment and try new things.

I have no doubt that there will be a future Grace Hopper and Marissa Mayer among the Girls Who Code Club. Way to go girls! Halfway though the semester– you got it!