Latinitas is partnering with the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) to present various summer programs focused on tech activities. As part of this collaboration, high school girls from the Austin area are volunteering to lead the workshops and create a schedule of activities.
Latinitas welcomes Rebecca, one of our Tech Chicos Volunteers this summer! Rebecca is from Austin, Texas and attends Vandegrift High School. She spends most of her free time being a project manager for her FIRST Tech Challenge robotics team. In the future, Rebecca aspires to be a Biomedical Engineer helping people use engineering and computer science through platforms such as integrated prosthetics and other medical aids.
What activities are you looking forward to the most when teaching Tech Chicos?
The activities that I am looking forward to most during Tech Chicos are the guest speakers from the tech industry because I am excited for the kids to be able to see at least a few options out of the huge amount of careers they can aspire to be in the future, and inspire them to start working towards their dreams now. There are many kids who have great potential for things such and careers in the tech industry, but could totally miss out if they never get introduced and familiarized with the opportunities they have.
Why have you partnered with Latinitas?
I have partnered with Latinitas because they are able to provide me with the platform to inspire young children, especially girls and kids from minorities, to grow up to do amazing things in technology. Both of these groups make up minorities in tech jobs, and I would like to show them that they can do the jobs just as well, if not better, and they can overcome any obstacles that they may face.
What is your advice to kids who are interested in pursuing a career in tech?
For any kids interested in pursuing a career in tech, I would tell them to be confident in themselves and not to let anyone tell them that they can’t do it. There might be a couple, or a lot, of bumps in the road to achieving their dream, but that’s all they are, bumps. Get back up, learn from your experiences, and keep on pursuing the path that you truly want.
Post Tech Chicos Summer Camp
Latinitas just wrapped up our week-long Tech Chicos summer camp at the Ruiz Branch Austin Public Library where volunteer, Rebecca Bates, helped out for the first time. Rebecca was very happy to work with Latinitas this summer to teach kids about the tech industry through fun and educational tech-focused activities. She even learned a couple things herself, read more about the Tech Chicos camp turn out below!
How was your experience as a leader to Latinitas summer camp participants?
I really enjoyed being able to be the leader for Tech Chicos. I loved getting to see all the kids learn and become more advanced throughout the week, even teaching me a few things!
What were your favorite activities?
My favorite activities were Hour of Code and the Dasher bots. The Hour of Code was very easy for each kid to tailor their lesson to what most interested them and keep them engaged. The Dasher bots were very cute and had unique challenges that taught the kids how to code creatively and demonstrated many things they could potentially do.
Were there any challenges you faced as a leader?
As this was the first time I have played such a large part in organizing a camp like this, I had to learn a lot about planning a camp from the start with the help of Latinitas staff. During the week, some of our equipment shipped too late and I had to improvise with other activities to ensure the kids had something to do, but we kept it running smoothly, and the kids continued to enjoy themselves.
Any additional comments you’d like to include?
I learned a lot from [Tech Chicos] on how to keep kids engaged and what is most interesting for them. I’m so glad I was able to work with Latinitas this summer and I’m excited to work with Latinitas more in the future!
