Interested in programming? Want to give support to minorities in STEM fields? So does Corey Wade, the teaching supervisor for a new computer programing club in Berkeley Independent Study (BIS). The Independent Study Computer Programing Club’s goals are to, “support minority and female students in tech,” said Wade in an email interview.
Wade is not the first to have noticed the lack of women and minorities in STEM, and he decided he wanted to do something about it.
Similar clubs include Girls Who Code and STEMinists, clubs at Berkeley High School that try to support girls in technology.
Wade said he plans on supporting girls and minorities by giving them access to resources and making sure that they comprise the majority of the group.
“I actively encourage and recruit them on campus. I will also bring in speakers later in the year to address the gender/minority tech gap in the world at large,” said Wade.
Ana Ocampo-Castro is a member of the new club with very little programming experience. Ocampo-Castro became interested in computer programming because she thought there were many people who knew how to use their phones, but did not understand the technology itself.
“There is of course this gap with women in the technology fields, and I feel it is really important to fix that,” said Ocampo-Castro when asked her opinion of clubs like STEMinists and Girls Who Code.
“I think that it’s really important that every middle schooler and high schooler learns to code. It can be useful in a lot of scenarios and overall a lot of fun,” Ocampo-Castro said.
Sophia Calogero, a student at BIS, had a math teacher recommend she join the club. “It is probably a good thing [the club] is around because there is a real imbalance in the industry with how many guys and the number of ladies there are programming,” said Calogero.
This club is aimed at increasing racial as well of gender diversity in the tech industry. On a positive note, representation of minority groups in STEM have increased recently. According to the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, over the last decade, Hispanic enrollment in STEM majors has increased by 65 percent, American Indian enrollment by 55 percent, and African American enrollment by fifty percent.
However, there is a noticeable pay gap between racial groups. Asian Americans reported the highest average earnings in STEM occupations, and Black and Hispanic professionals earned the least.
Wade hopes to combat the gaps in the tech field by inspiring young people to get involved in tech.
The more clubs there are like the BIS Computer Programming Club the more opportunities there are for more diverse people to join the technology field. Additionally, the BIS Computer Programming Club is a special opportunity to meet new people who share the common goals of inclusivity, increasing diversity, and learning computer programming.
The club meets from 2 PM to 4 PM on Mondays in room 207 on the BIS campus and is open to all students interested in coding or computer programming.