BRIGHT-CS is a program for girls in middle school. Girls learn how computer science can help them solve problems they care about and create new things in the digital world. Girls get to interact with women of color with careers in computer science and build friendships with other girls like them. By the end of the year, girls see themselves as leaders and scientists.

Cyber-AI was a virtual seminar hosted during COVID by Aya Elfettahi and Lidya Demilew. They created an interactive seminar that exposed middle and high school girls to computing through two of the fastest growing fields in technology, Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity. The seminar included a cybersecurity professional guest speaker in addition to a number of “hands-on”, interactive activities.

A teacher told a mutual friend about an article in George Mason University’s Magazine. Ms. DeHart’s friend brought her the article about a forensic professor that had organized a STEM summer camp for minority girls; maybe she would be interested? Interested! YES! Ms. DeHart sent the instructor and email, invited them to meet her students and they ended up in a partnership for 2+ years!

HackSIP was a hackathon series created by Mera Seifu and Nardos Demilew. They, along with a skilled support team, put together an online hackathon for underrepresented middle and high school girls. Mailing the materials directly to their homes, students were exposed to coding through Scratch, micro:bit, and other hands-on activities. The seminar series was so well received that we might even do it again!

Coding is a 21st century skill. Whether you are a software engineer, or not, coding is everywhere and in someway shape or form affects a student’s career trajectory. Given that importance Ms. DeHart made it a priority to expose, teach coding in any way she could. Not knowing how to code herself, and have little time to learn, she was supported by students that offered peer-to-peer teaching.
The result were very positive: student-sponsored hackathons, coding curricula, robotics, seminars, a coding clud, etc. The Hour of Code is a wonderful way to support students in coding.

As a middle school teacher Ms. DeHart felt it important to expose and support girls to STEM. As part of her focus she partnered with FCCLA to serve a 3 course dinner while entertaining as many girls as possible for a NASA speaker that presented during National Engineering Week. The event was a success! 25 girls attended and asked the speaker questions that truly indicated their interest in the opportunity!

Part of SIP’s program is for students to make public presentations. It exposes our program in addition to teaching students how to plan, write, practice, and present a speech to an audience of real people! Ms. DeHart would submit a proposal and invite students that were willing to participate in the process. This event was for teachers and administrators. Abia Zahir and Aya Elfettahi joined Ms. DeHart on their field trip. Our presentation went so well that we secured a presentation offer with an attending organization.

A chance meeting between two adults, from different countries, during a pandemic and inspired by a similar mission – to teach underrepresented students how to code – generated an opportunity for global connection! Our mottow was No Borders, just learning! Ten Scratch class and 10 youth mentors later students from New Delhi India and the United States inspired students from India to attend coding classes Livestreamed on Youtube! 25,000 views later the project gifted SIP its first international student members: Pallab Layak and Tanisha Dhami.

This seminar was inspired by the Hour of Code activity facilitated by Mera Seifu and Yabesra Ewnetu. Happy with the engagement the students demonstrated, SIP was invited to conduct a larger seminar – one in which the high school students were the program managers, middle school students were the STEM educators, and elementary school students enjoy the STEM program! This was one of our best activities. Lots of work by lots of value!

Ms. DeHart had spent the previous year being a First robotics coach. She was poised to bring First to her middle school when she found out that they had chosen VEX robotics instead. Her previous team, all but one, elected to join the soccer team and things were looking bleak. To no avail, Ms. DeHart asked a new set of students and ended up taking 17 + their parents to the VEX state competition! While the team did not earn the right to move on to Worlds, some of the students volunteered to go to Worlds, explore the experience, and prepare for the next year!