South Bend Code School hosts classes teaching and getting girls interested in Coding

SOUTH BEND, Ind -- The new Studebaker building in south bend was turned into a coding frenzy today as girls from the area learned computer skills that they say will be very useful

Despite the growing number of people entering the field of technology, right now women hold less than one-third of tech related jobs in the United States.

The South Bend Code School wants to change that.

For the past three years the South Bend Code School has been hosting coding events with the goal of extending science, engineering, technology, and math opportunities to young girls people.

Co-founder Alexandra Liggins says after college she noticed a need for a program geared towards teaching  tech skills

“I started teaching myself how to code because many of the students I was encountering felt that without a college degree the opportunities for them to have profitable and successful careers was slim to none but I knew that with coding that you could still pursue a profitable career without a college degree” Liggins said.

Right now women earn only 28 percent of computer science degrees, and they make up less than 10 percent of tech start-ups.

“We have these mini coding sessions that kids can sign up for and be able to try coding for the first time ,either by personalizing their own website or building their own games and animations” Liggins said.

More than three hundred girls have completed the schools formal program and more than 50 percent of the students are minorities

However, Liggins says the program isn’t just for young girls, they've seen people of all ages

South Bend Code School is currently enrolling students for coding summer camps and event organizers said they are working on bringing this event to the South Bend area every year