I was so fortunate to have to opportunity to present to Lazar Middle School’s Computer Club with STEMFuture’s middle school computer science workshop curriculum. Every single one of the students that I presented to was incredibly respectful, intelligent, and sweet. I began with a presentation on why CS is essential, useful, and fun! I also wanted to get a couple very important messages across: CS can be pursued by ANYONE and EVERYONE, and CS can be (and is best when) interdisciplinary (combined with other subjects). I did not want these students to shy away from CS in the future because they thought they had to forget their other interests and passions to pursue it; that is absolutely not the case – in fact, each computer scientist’s other interests mixed with their computing skills is what makes them unique and powerful. We ended the presentation with a coding activity using variables, print statements, and loops in Python! I was incredibly pleased when even though the students had to leave to catch their bus, they were all crowding around and asking questions/expressing interest about what they had just learned. It was a frenzy of curiosity and awesomeness. A student came up to me in the end and told me he thought my presentation was really inspiring. It’s safe to say that my day was made.
To being one step closer to a STEM Future,
Shuba Prasadh
“Shuba created an informative and fun presentation to spread her love of computer science to my Middle School Computer Club students. It isn’t always easy to keep the attention of a room full of Middle School students, especially at the end of a school day, but Shuba’s energy and passion for the subject keep students tuned in the topic. Shuba introduced my students to the idea that their tech passion can become more than a hobby, it came become a career that they love. At the end of her presentation, Shuba rewarded the club with a coding demonstration! My students left for the bus psyched that they had written first lines of code, and eager to continue their coding journey.” – Caitlin Cardinale (computer club advisor and history teacher at Lazar Middle School)