Application Essays for ADA

Adaessays.md

1. Why are you interested in programming? What have you done to expose yourself to programming so far?

   My passion for building, creating, and solving real world problems through technology inspired me to learn programming. I began with a course through Skillcrush where I learned the basics of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Ruby and gained the skills I needed take on freelance web design projects. Building websites for small businesses taught me how to build a website, upload it to a server, and work with clients to find solutions. After taking courses on Codecademy, Udemy, and working through introductory programming books such as “Eloquent JavaScript” and “Head First JavaScript Programming”, I joined Free Code Camp (FCC) where I have become an active member in the online community. Through FCC, I have learned foundational JavaScript, JQuery, and JSON skills and how to write basic algorithms, debug code, and build applications from scratch. Additionally, I have had the opportunity to connect with local developers through Girl Develop It (GDI). Learning alongside other women at GDI is part of what has attracted me to ADA. Connecting with other intelligent, hard-working women determined to succeed in technology is highly empowering, and I know the ADA would be a life-defining step as I pursue my career goals.

2. What are your professional goals for the next 2 years, the next 5 years?

   Recently on the Code Newbie podcast, Matt Mitchell, a data journalist at the New York Times, encouraged developers to combine their love of technology with their other passions as they pursue a career path. Following his advice, in two years I see myself combining my background in education with my programming abilities to make a significant contribution to educational technology. Inspired by Sugata Mitra’s “Hole in the Wall” experiment demonstrating that children could learn very easily with only a computer, I believe technology is an extremely powerful, yet underutilized solution for improving the quality of education. I aspire to build online learning platforms and web applications designed for children to explore topics that interest them and encourage independent study. In five years, I will be pursuing the same goal and perhaps working on a graduate degree in learning science or educational technology to deepen my understanding of how technology can improve education.

3. Tell us about a time you made a mistake that you learned a lot from. If you encountered the situation again, what would you do differently?

   Embracing gender stereotypes when I originally decided on a career path was one of the biggest mistakes I had made. I have always had natural abilities in math and science. As a child, I would spend hours on the computer building websites or in my garage with scrap metals trying to figure out how to build a robot. I read books about engineering, geology, and astronomy and drew inspiration from the work of prolific inventors. Unfortunately, sometime around the eighth grade, my perspective changed, and I began to think of the STEM fields as “men’s work.” I clearly remember a teacher telling my middle school class that boys were better at math, and the lack of female teachers in science and technology at my school exacerbated my self-doubt about pursuing a career in a STEM field. I do not regret studying special education in college because it gave me invaluable insight into learning and cognition and taught me to embrace diversity, however, I wish I had known ten years ago that I could succeed in a STEM field. Thanks to ADA and other initiatives that encourage women to pursue careers in technology, I have my chance now to do things differently.

4. Have you taught yourself anything before? Describe what you learned and how you approached it.

   One of the most useful skills I taught myself as a teacher was how to use data to meet the learning goals of my students. Each year, I would receive a copy of my state standardized testing data from the previous year, allowing me to see the areas where my students scored poorly. I realized how valuable this data was and saw that I could design my own assessments to provide similar data that I could use to assess and modify my teaching on an ongoing basis.

   I learned to carefully choose test questions that would give me valuable feedback on how well my students understood each concept, and I crafted a spreadsheet that allowed me to quickly identify concepts my students did not understand. I learned I could manipulate the data to analyze trends. Most importantly, I used the data to guide my instruction. The spreadsheet allowed me to see whether I needed to review the concept with the entire class or just a small group of students. Using assessment data proved to be very beneficial to my students’ success, and each year, my students consistently scored “advanced” or “proficient” on their yearly state standardized tests.