1. Tell us about yourself (what are some of your hobbies, etc.)
My name is Charlotte Mullin. I enjoy painting, drawing, making jewelry, and going on walks. I moved to Connecticut in 2019 after living in Iowa for 10 years!
2. What interests you about coding?
Coding interests me because there is just so much you can do with it. No matter what field you go into it can be applied for so many different uses. It’s such a good skill to have in our technology-dominated world.
3. What challenges have you faced being a woman in the STEM environment?
Personally, I have been fortunate enough to not experience many challenges as a woman in a STEM environment. The only clear memory I have of a challenge is in 5th grade when I was instructed to build a toy robot with a boy in my class. He wouldn’t let me help build the robot because I would “mess it up.” I feel that problematic discourse between women and men in STEM occurs a lot and that’s why I think it’s so great that organizations like SOWcoders exist to help combat these injustices.
4. Why did you decide to join SOWcoders?
I decided to join SOWcoders because I wasn’t taking any computer science classes in school at the time and I wanted to expose myself to coding and women in the STEM field. It also came off as a very welcoming and joyful environment, which it has proved to be!
5. What do you hope to do with coding in the future? (if you don’t plan on doing coding, how has what you learned in the club helped you?)
Currently, I don’t plan to pursue computer science in my professional career. I want to major in graphic design or industrial design in college. However, coding can be very applicable for both of my desired career pathways, so I’m sure the coding skills I’m learning in SOWcoders will help me in the future. Overall, if you don’t desire a career in computer science I would still highly recommend joining SOWcoders or learning to code a bit because it helps improve your problem-solving skills, which helps with anything you pursue.
6. How has joining the Society of Women coders changed your life and perspective on STEM?
Joining the Society of Women coders has shown me how integrated STEM, and specifically coding, is in our everyday lives. Before joining, coding seemed like this impossible thing that people only did to build websites. Now I know it’s so much more widespread than that and it’s not just for computer scientists, it’s for virtually anyone with computer access. Going through my everyday life I now think about how much coding has built all of the things I use.
Thank you SOWcoders West Hartford for interviewing me. I can’t wait to see what our club does this upcoming year!