This CS Ed Week — which runs from December 9th – 15th to inspire K-12 students to learn computer science — NCWIT is spotlighting 2024 Aspirations in Computing Impact Award Winners who are nonprofit founders working to broaden participation in tech and computer science education nationwide!
Being a student by day and nonprofit founder by night is no small feat — but Laasya Aki, Grace Magny-Fokam, and Katelyn Liu make it look effortless.All won the NCWIT Aspirations in Computing Impact Award, which honors and celebrates members of the Aspirations in Computing Community who expand access and inclusion in computing. Through hands-on learning opportunities, peer-led mentorship, and digital and in-person communities, they’re empowering young students from diverse backgrounds and ages to contribute their unique perspectives and ideas to the future of tech.
Growing their respective non-profits — CODEify, Folia Technologies, and Wow! That’s STEM — is a calling they all expressed joy in. Witnessing K-12 participants learn, grow, and apply crucial computing skills, like problem solving and innovation, in their day-to-day lives is rewarding. Even more so, supporting students who could be the future tech workforce continues to motivate these founders, despite all of the barriers they’ve faced — juggling both rigorous coursework and founder demands, limited time, and othering they’ve faced as young women of color.
Many words can be used to describe these soon-to-be tech legends: multifaceted, time management wizards, pioneers… While all of these are certainly true, there isn’t just one word that can encapsulate how outstanding and impactful they are! Don’t just take our word for it. To learn more about Laasya, Grace, and Katelyn, follow NCWIT on social media and refresh this blog for more insights and advice throughout the week!
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From Minneapolis, Minnesota, she’s a freshman at Carnegie Mellon University, an NCWIT Higher Ed Alliance member institution in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and a Co-Founder of CODEify! Currently, she’s studying Computer Science after following her fascination with math and all the possibilities in the field.
She’s also a three-time NCWIT Aspirations in Computing High School Award recipient, earning accolades from 2022-2024. She first got involved with the Aspirations in Computing Community thanks to encouragement from her mom, who works in tech as a Cloud Solutions Architect and is a steady source of inspiration. To learn more about what inspired her to start CODEify, check out the Q&A below:
What does tech/computing mean to you?
Tech means the power to solve unsolvable problems! Unlocking the power of technology helps solve global problems.
What are your research interests and why?
What fascinates me is AI and Cybersecurity and how they can interact, particularly how they’re able to catch things humans can’t. Cybersecurity is so much more important now with cyber threats and us relying on technology more, this area is especially important which is why I’m interested in it.
Is there anyone in tech/computing that inspires you? Why?
Dr. Joy Buolamwini — founder of The Algorithmic Justice League — and her work with uncovering algorithmic bias in machine learning inspires me. Part of the solution that she’s going for is not just to disregard machine learning or belittle its impact, she’s actually trying to make it more equitable and eliminate bias in machine learning because this tool is so powerful and has so much potential, it needs to be thought out more carefully and have a diversity of people working on it.
How were your experiences as an intern with the Minnesota Twins and General Mills?
I was exposed to these opportunities and was able to participate in them because of the Aspirations in Computing community! My first internship, with the Minnesota Twins, was a real-world view into how technology works in the corporate world and was so fascinating to me because I was like “what does technology have to do with baseball? What am I going to code? What am I going to do?” When I arrived, that answer became clear to me: I did a lot with web development, and I just loved the people that I was working with.
The next summer I completed the General Mills internship, which was a different type of technology but still a lot of fun because I loved the people I was working with again! It was really cool how we could apply technology to the food manufacturing process and run diagnostics on it. While there I also configured an Internet of Things prototype to help the process run more efficiently.
These were such great experiences because I was able to learn about what technology does in the real world and it motivated me to keep going because I knew that these were some of the possibilities that were available to me with a CS degree.
What advice would you give to students applying for internships?
My advice to students applying for internships is to keep everything on your resume up-to-date and relevant for what you’re applying for. When interviewing, be prepared and also yourself!
Get guidance from a recent event with the AiC Community and special guest Rhona Pierce, a software engineer turned tech recruiter who founded HowToLevelUp.com. You can also watch the video online on demand.
As a “curious learner” who is intrinsically motivated, Laasya began a personal technology blog right after 9th grade as an easy, accessible way to share technology. Over time, her love of tech and its ever-changing possibilities continued to grow. Ultimately, it led her to co-found a non-profit that helps about 50 students learn to code per semester. Now that they are in their fourth semester, Laasya hopes the organization can expand to more states and invite more students and teachers to join.
What inspired you to create CODEify?
I was inspired to create CODEify when I started taking more advanced computer science and math classes. I saw there was a significant gender gap in the classroom — there were noticeably less women in the classes, so I wanted to offer an accessible way for people to learn how to code.
How many employees/team members do you currently have?
I’m currently the Director of Technology and I met my two co-founders, Pranavi and Andrew, through working for a different non-profit organization! We met up and decided we all supported the mission and wanted to pursue CODEify. We spread the word and learned how to build CODEify by partnering with other nonprofits in Minnesota. View all CODEify team members online.
What’s your favorite or most proud moment of CODEify so far?
Beside completing the website and placing out fliers, one of my favorite moments of CODEify was our first semester, when we started! People were actually showing up, liking the lessons, and they were going to come back — it just showed us that it was a successful endeavor and what we were doing was actually useful.
How can students become involved with CODEify?
CODEify is online and open to all for late middle schoolers through 12th grade! On our website, there’s a “Join Us” button where you can sign up to become a member of your team. If you’re interested in becoming a tutor, there’s a short interview process.
How can people support CODEify?
Support us by registering for classes and spreading the word to reach as many students as possible! We’re ending this fall semester with our very first hackathon for students so they can have a practical application of what they’ve been learning how to code. We will also have more classes coming next spring!
This CS Ed Week, what would you like to see in K-12 CS Ed? Are there any efforts you take part in or would recommend to current students and teachers?
I would love to see more students in CS classes and more opportunities for after-school programming! Not just for coding, either. It’s important students learn to develop a problem-solving mindset since it can be applied in everyday life.
Teachers should check out CODEify, but also these CS resources they can use in their classroom:
Also, a lot of schools do a career day, and having more people in technology come to speak to students would help them learn all about this whole new field of possibilities!
From Glenn Dale, Maryland, she’s now a senior at the University of Maryland senior and the Founder of Folia Technologies!
She’s a high school sophomore from California and the founder of Wow! That’s STEM!
Learn how you can inspire students in computing today with popular computing topics from Teach Engineering:
For more resources to support K-12 CS Ed, check out:
