Anyone who thinks women aren’t interested in computer science has not met our Carondelet students. For the third consecutive year, Carondelet earned the AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award for outstanding representation of girls in one of the most challenging courses in the STEM field, AP Computer Principles. Carondelet is among only 4% of schools worldwide to earn this distinction from the College Board this year.
Coding and computer science have at times been compared to learning another language, but it’s one that Athena Lewis ’21 is having a good time decoding. “STEM classes, physics and this (Computer Science) class have helped me to become a better problem solver,” she said.
“It’s just helped me to look at things in a different way. I have a better understanding of how everything works,” said Lewis.
The senior that learning in an environment dominated by smart women has made her more confident when it comes to a future in STEM. She intends to study engineering in college next year.
Providing girls with more access to computer science courses contributes togreater gender equity in STEM’s highest-paying jobs. It drives innovation, creativity, and competition. Research shows women are more likely to pursue computer science if they’re given the opportunity to explore it in high school.
Schools receiving the AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award have either 50% or higher female representation in one of the two AP computer science courses or a percentage of the female computer science examinees meeting or exceeding that of the school’s female population.