2018 CIIP Program Book CIIP Booklet 2018 | Page 23

I wish I could neatly pack up all of my emotions, thoughts, and memories from this summer
into an organized and beautifully written paragraph. Unfortunately, I am the stereotypical Hop-
kins STEM student who struggles to write anything more than three sentences and cries a little
bit when she has to write her weekly reflection blog. So instead of a skillfully written reflection,
I would like to present my thoughts in an awkward ramble.
As I reflect on my second summer at Code in the Schools, I cannot help but think that this
repeated experience was completely necessary and invaluable to my personal growth. As an
intern last summer, and just generally for the past 20 years of my life, I have always been afraid
to make mistakes, take up space, and speak up. The supportive staff at CITS has allowed me
to feel comfortable enough to voice my disagreements and has encouraged me by valuing
my opinions and thoughts. This enabled me to address the aspects of CodeWorks that I
personally thought were ineffective and allowed me to actualize some of my ideas to improve
the program. My second year at CodeWorks gave me the space to grow as a leader and has
taught me the importance of my own perspective.
This work can sometimes be really disheartening. As you start to form closer relationships
with your students, you start to observe a lot of the issues they have to deal with as well. And
most of the time, these issues and situations are out of your control. However, this summer,
my supervisor taught me what it means to be a strong advocate for the students and what
strong advocacy can accomplish. We may not be able to resolve larger systemic issues such as
inequitable transportation or food access, but by being flexible, creative, and consistent, we
can support and encourage our youth.
My 2018 CIIP experience has been absolutely incredible and I know it’s largely due to the
wonderful people I have been able to work with and meet this summer. I want to thank Eli and
Kaetlyn for organizing such an amazing summer and for being such a reliable support system.
Qubilah, thank you for trusting me with CodeWorks and thank you for teaching me how to be
a strong ally and advocate for our youth. I’m still so so so sorry about messing up the t-shirts.
And lastly, I want to thank my students (who will probably never see this). You guys ask way
too many questions sometimes, but thank you for being so wonderful, kind and enthusiastic. I
hope to see everyone again in the fall!
• Developed and supervised CodeWorks, a 5-week intensive coding program for Baltimore
Youth, providing the youth and instructors with administrative support
• Served as a morning instructor for students transitioning between middle school and high
school
• Analyzed and collected data on the progress, demographics, and interests of the students at
CodeWorks
Community Partner: Code in the Schools
Peer Mentor: Soyun Kim
Site Supervisor: Qubilah Huddleston
What is Code in the Schools?
We are committed to expanding access
to quality computer science education
programs in Baltimore City to ensure that
all Baltimore residents are prepared to
be active members of the 21st century
economy. We achieve this through fun
and innovative in-school, afterschool,
and summer programming for youth age
4-21, as well as professional development
for educators throughout the region.
22