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CodeCrush Fall 2018 Immersion Experience

This November, 32 middle and high school girls came to IS&T with their teachers to learn more about technology careers. As part of our CodeCrush program, this fall's class got to have new experiences learning all about STEM education and workplaces.

  • published: 2018/12/13

From November 28th - 30th, IS&T welcomed a new CodeCrush class! As part of our program designed to show more young girls the world of technology, we had over 70 students apply for the 32 spots.

CodeCrush is an ever-growing program, and thanks to a generous grant from the Peter Kiewit Foundation we're able to host the Immersion Experience twice a year and a Summer Summit during the summer. Looking to be a part of our next program? Sign up for updates here!

I loved the environment that I was in. At school there are different social groups, but at CodeCrush you weren’t in a social group, we were all the same.

 CodeCrush student

"I loved the environment that I was in. At school there are different social groups, but at CodeCrush you weren’t in a social group, we were all the same," one student said. "I also liked how we were exposed to many different aspects of technology and coding. I liked how we got to go out in the community and go to different businesses."

To introduce students to the variety of IT areas in the academy and in professional life, educational workshops were held on subjects that go beyond the typical “programming” job. These workshops were four-hour interactive sessions and covered a variety of topics to appeal to a wide range of interests. The sessions were created to be as hands-on as possible, with a specific emphasis on IS&T’s new program for teachers in computer science, the Masters of Science in Computer Science Education. We’ve been able to reach new teachers across the Midwest, and welcome back a number of teachers across the years.

"I really enjoyed the tours and the session on computer science--I finally understand binary! I enjoyed all the sessions this year for the teacher mentors--thanks for putting on this wonderful learning experience for the girls," One teacher said.

Students also engaged with the IT workforce landscape through a tour of First Data, Union Pacific, and Gallup, where they talked with IT employees and senior executives about each organization’s work culture and how they use IT. The group also enjoyed a trip to Flywheel, where they led a session on Wordpress development and a tour of their fast growing company.

Current IS&T students mentored the girls, and served as role models of women actively involved in the field of technology. In helping the girls to become more comfortable with IT, the hope is to also empower them to be knowledge leaders in their own schools and within their peer groups. We hope that these students view IT as a viable educational/career path.

You can check out our recap of 2018's Summer Summit here.

A big thank you to our sponsors, which make CodeCrush a free experience for all who attend. Without their generous support, CodeCrush wouldn't be the experience it is today:

Founding Sponsor

The Peter Kiewit Foundation

Women in IT Fund Partners

NASA Nebraska Space Grant
Lozier Foundation

Platinum Sponsors

Verizon
Mutual of Omaha

Gold Sponsor

Union Pacific

Silver Sponsors

Olsson

Bronze Sponsors

Northrop Grumman