As a continued effort to get to better know some young women interested in coding and share some of our success stories, we interviewed Mattie Spillane. Mattie is a junior at Hall High School, a member of its SOWCoder chapter, and is interested in STEM (specifically Quantum Computing). Here is how the interview went:
Q: “Tell us about yourself, what are your hobbies, interests, etc.?”
A: “I spend most of my free time playing lacrosse, but I also spend a lot of time with my friends.”
Q: “What interests you about coding?”
A: “I really enjoy being able to customize different parts of my assignments. When making apps I get to choose how it looks or what it is used for, when making websites I can decide the layout myself, overall the creativity is really exciting.”
Q: “What challenges have you faced being a woman in the STEM environment?”
A: “The first time I took a computer science class I was one of the only two girls in it. I definitely felt out of place, and it did not help that I knew nothing about computer science. This happened again in my Cybersecurity and Cryptography class last year, and again in my Game and Web Design class this year.”
Q: “Why did you decide to join SOWcoders?”
A: “I decided to join SOWcoders because I wanted to contribute to something bigger than myself. I knew firsthand what it felt like to be a woman in a very unrepresented field, and I wanted to support something that I would have benefited from and that others will.”
Q: “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?”
A: “In the future, I want to pursue a career in Quantum Computing. As abstract as this sounds, I want to find a way to use the laws of physics, the universe, and the multiverse to advance technology further than ever before.”
Q: “How has joined the Society of Women coders changed your life and perspective on STEM?”
A: “Joining the Society of Women coders has taught me about the benefits of a community. Seeing different young women all pursuing a career in computer science gives a sense of support to continue persevering with my own plans. The STEM field needs women and I believe the Society of Women coders can drastically help this.”
We really appreciated Mattie answering our questions! We wish her the best for her future in Quantum Computing and hope her involvement in SOWCoders is helping her in her future endeavors! If you would like to be interviewed or know of someone you think should be interviewed please feel free to email SOWCodersUSChapter@gmail.com . Thanks again Mattie for your time!