WRA upperclassman offers coding lessons to middle school girls
by Emily Canning-Dean
As young as her elementary school years, Riya Hegde found herself drawn to coding and computer science.
“I would check books out of the library and would try to find websites online where I could learn about coding,” said Hegde, a senior at Western Reserve Academy. “I really saw the gender gap in computer science when I got to high school, and I was one of only two girls in my computer science class. Only about 18% of computer science majors in college are women. I wanted to start offering workshops to expose younger girls to this field. I started to think about the kind of instruction I wished I had when I was a kid.”
For that reason, Hegde formed Python Pals, a free workshop for middle-school girls that exposes them to the basics of coding.
“I try to have a workshop every month,” she said. “I think I just finished my 17th workshop.”
Hegde came up with the idea for the workshop during her junior year when she took a class called “Compass.” She said the course is “student-driven” and students are meant to come up with a passion project that they work on over the course of the school year.
“I started offering the workshop at WRA, and I still do during the school year. They have been very supportive,” she said. “If I have a workshop over summer break, I book a room at Hudson Library.”
Hegde said each monthly workshop is three hours of instruction over the course of two days.
“Python is a specific language used to code, and I like to use it because its structures are not super rigid and I think it works as a good introduction to coding,” she said.
During the first day of the workshop, Hegde spends time teaching her students the basics of Python, then later the girls learn how to solve example problems on their own. The second day includes a group project and then a fun programming competition where participants compete to see who can solve the most Python problems. The winner receives a $10 gift certificate.
“I think there is this misconception that coders work alone in the dark, but coding is something that can be very collaborative, so the group project is an opportunity to let the girls see that,” she said. “I think sometimes girls have these preconceived notions that coding is too difficult or that it’s very solitary. It’s exciting to see the girls figure things out in a group and then on their own without any guidance and see how much it lifts their confidence.”
Hegde has offered smaller workshops with three to eight students and larger classes with up to 20. She has done workshops for Safe Landing Youth Shelter and has also offered virtual workshops for students in India.
While Hegde’s workshop is targeted toward middle school, she said she is happy to alter the curriculum for elementary school girls as she would like to expose young women to coding and computer science as early as possible.
“I had a Girl Scout troop reach out to me a few months ago, so I’m happy to work with these girls as well,” she said.
Hegde said she plans to offer more workshops throughout the rest of the school year and also over the summer. Anyone interested in signing up for a workshop or local groups that would like to collaborate with Hegde to create a workshop for their organization can find more information and can contact her through her website pythonpals.com.
“I hope to offer the workshop wherever I go to college,” Hegde said. “But while I’m still here, I hope to offer the workshop to as many girls and groups as possible. I would also be happy to work with girls in high school.”
Hegde said she hopes to major in both computer science and medicine when attending college. “I am interested in seeing how the two can intersect,” she said. “I think it would be interesting to go into public health and use the technology as a way to educate the public.”
Photo caption: Coding wiz Riya Hegde, a senior at Western Reserve Academy, shares her secrets with middle schoolers at WRA and beyond. Photo by Andrew Jordan Photography.