The Only Three Girls in the Room

In 9th grade, I eagerly stepped into my first coding class––only to find two other girls in the class of 30. The three of us found ourselves lost in an uninviting room of self-styled brogrammers, making us feel less like we belonged. This environment eventually discouraged me from taking a computer science class the following year.

However, my outlook changed when I joined the 2023 University of Washington Changemakers in Computing program. Beyond coding, the program emphasized building ethical and accessible technological solutions, such as pulse oximeters that work for darker skin tones. One of my biggest takeaways was that technology reflects the values of its creators, which made me ponder the impact of the lack of diversity in my school’s technology classes.

Motivated to make a difference, I created a school-wide Society of Women Engineers (SWENext) club as an encouraging, supportive community for girls interested in computer science and engineering. I hosted talks with local women technology leaders, led beginner-friendly hackathons, and coordinated STEM-based skill-building workshops.

In the winter, we hosted our first Innovation Challenge––a beginner-friendly hackathon to design technology for social good, with participation from 52 students across four schools. Later in the year, our SWENext team competed in large challenges like the University of Washington’s Hack for Social Good hack-a-thon and the Microsoft Hunt the Wumpus state-wide contest, where we won 2nd place! To my excitement, the club grew to over 30 members, but what mattered most was the welcoming community we created for women to grow, support one another, and build lasting friendships.

My journey has taught me that technology’s innovation is driven both by considering the diversity of its users and, especially, that of its creators. Our SWENext year-end survey showed a 34% increase in members’ interest in pursuing a technology-related career, which gives me hope that by encouraging diverse voices in technology, we can break stereotypes and build solutions with broader impact.