5 Questions with Code/Art Instructor Taylor Rivera
This month we’re chatting with Taylor Rivera, FIU student and lead instructor for Code/Art’s two FIU-based CodeHER clubs.
Taylor is currently a second year computer science (CS) major at Florida International University (FIU) and the lead instructor for two Code/Art weekly CodeHER clubs based on FIU’s main campus.
Under the guidance of Dr. Mario Eraso, STEM Coordinator in the School of Computing and Information Sciences, Taylor along with her two teaching assistants — FIU first year Rachel Quijano and 12th grader Clarissa Alfonso — has done an incredible job of keeping FIU CodeHER club members engaged as they’ve transitioned from on-site to 100% online. Let’s learn a little about Taylor’s coding journey so far!
How did you first become interested in coding?
I first got interested in coding by attending a Code/Art workshop when I was in high school. At the time, I had no prior coding experience, and I wanted to learn something new.
What’s been your favorite part about teaching the CodeHER clubs?
My favorite part about teaching the CodeHER clubs is being able to see how every girl improves and feels more confident with their coding skills throughout the year.
Last summer you were 1 of only 34 first-year CS majors selected from over 1500 applicants to take part in a 5-day interactive program at Twitter. What was the most exciting part of that experience?
The most exciting part was being able to travel to a new city and being able to work on a project with students from different universities. Throughout the five days, Twitter engineers helped us with both technical skills and soft skills. It was great being able to learn from them!
Name a woman who inspires you and why?
I would say Katherine Johnson is a woman who inspires me. No matter the obstacles she faced as a woman and a minority, she continued to move forward and grow in her field. It is inspiring that she did not let the barriers stop her from being successful.
What’s your favorite candy?
My favorite candy is Kit-Kat!
Interested in supporting Code/Art’s CodeHER Clubs? Help teachers like Taylor introduce more girls to coding through online Code/Art lessons in CodeHER Virtual clubs. Click Here for more information.
