Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program 2023 Applications Are Now Open!

February 23, 2023

By Lilia Stone

Software.org: the BSA Foundation is proud to launch its ninth annual partnership with Girls Who Code for a two-week Summer Immersion Program (SIP) to take place in July.

This summer’s Software.org programming is a continuous effort to increase workforce diversity across STEM fields by providing participants from underrepresented backgrounds access to resources and a clear pathway to careers in the STEM fields. Research conducted by the National Girls Collaborative Project finds that women constitute only 34 percent of the STEM workforce, with more stark disparities in engineering (16 percent) and computer and mathematical sciences (26 percent). It also found that Latina, Black, and Indigenous women comprise less than 10 percent of the STEM workforce.

This year’s partnership with Girls Who Code will help address that gender gap by bringing together young women from high schools across the country to learn coding in virtual classrooms led by mentors from industry-leading companies. Additionally, students will learn about Game Design through beginner and intermediate computer science concepts, such as UX design basics, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for web development. Students will also participate in mentorship workshops, learn about career opportunities in STEM through women working in the software industry, and meet with members of Congress and other high-ranking government officials. Students will have the opportunity to interact with BSA CEO and Software.org President Victoria Espinel during one of the workshops.

Help support our mission of closing the gender gap in computer science by sharing this application with any eligible 9th, 10th, or 11th-grade US students and international students ages 14-18. Please contact us if you are interested in learning more about how your organization can participate.