Girls Who Code is a national nonprofit program started with the goal of “closing the gender gap in technology, one girl at a time”; fewer than one in five computer science graduates are women. The program began with 20 girls in New York City in 2012 and expects to reach 40,000 girls in grades 6–12 in all 50 states in 2018.

The good news is that in February the Crook County Library started one of the after-school clubs on Tuesday afternoons throughout the school year.

Shun-Sho Fong, youth services librarian with the Crook County Library, became aware of the organization last fall and started planning for a club right away.

“Something people don’t realize is that there are so many fields connected to technology. Half of what I learned in college were computer coding classes—and that was for both my journalism and library science courses,” said Fong.

Fong explained that the girls’ interests could directly tie to computer coding—”top interests included art, tutorials for teenagers to learn how to do nature studies, color theory, pets, creating a fashion website for kids to learn what to wear, bullying, depression, and insomnia” —and that these girls could literally change the world.

“It was like a lightbulb went off in their heads. They began to realize that this could be a career path—and that they could really make a difference in the world,” said Fong.

The opportunity for girls to stay in Central Oregon in computer technology careers is bright. Facebook and Apple have giant data centers in Prineville, and Bend has software companies trying to attract more women into the field.

Information on Girls Who Code can be found on the library’s website, crooklib.org, or by calling Shun-Sho Fong at 541-447-7978, and see girlswhocode.com •