4 Women Who Are Using Coding In Inspiring Ways

In April, Bustle teamed up with Flatiron School's Women Take Tech initiative with the goal of supplying more than $100,000 in scholarship funding to women applying to Flatiron School’s Online Web Developer Program. The focus is to encourage more women to enter STEM fields, where they are still woefully underrepresented. In 2013, only 26 percent of computer engineers were women, down from 35 percent in 1990. The partnership is organic with both organizations dedicated to aiding women in achieving their goals.

The Women Take Tech initiative is designed to provide a growing number of women with access to programs where they can learn the skills needed to have a successful career in technology. Included in the Online Web Developer Program is comprehensive career coaching, over 800 hours of coursework, and the opportunity for participants to have mentor sessions with writers and engineers at Bustle. Each winner will only have to pay half the cost of the program. Sound like something you would be interested in? The scholarship is still accepting applications though this link.

Each woman chosen thus far to receive the scholarship is goal-oriented, and has a unique story about how she intends to use the knowledge and skills obtained from the course. Read on to hear a few of those inspiring goals.

1. Laura Bodell, Advancing The Careers Of Standup And Voiceover Artists

Bodell moved from London to New York just over a year ago. She gained a great interest in coding after watching her brother start his own web development company. "I had to create my own websites for my own standup and voiceover work, which I did using Wix, and I would love to know how to do it properly," she says. "While I greatly enjoyed creating them, I know many in the arts who would love help in building their own websites, and I would love to set up my own company specializing in websites and apps for performers, in order to be able to help them. I also have a passion for dogs and have volunteered at shelters since I was a teenager. I'd love to build apps that helped pet owners find products, services, and pet-friendly locations that are more user-friendly than those that currently exist."

2. Zipporah Drake, Learning To Code In Spanish

Drake already speaks Spanish, and her long-term goal is to learn to code in the language as well. "I desired to go to school online because I am a full-time mom," she tells Bustle. "So I needed something that could work around my 'parenting-life.' My goal is to become a full stack web developer. Flatiron has given me the ability to also learn React, a JavaScript library. The Bustle Women Take Tech scholarship has made my goal a reality."

3. Denise Dearman, Bringing Ideas To Life

There are few things more rewarding than conceiving an idea, and then discovering a way to make it a reality. Dearman would like to do just that through coding. "Having worked as a software engineer for two years on backend technologies, I hope to gain a mastery over several web technologies and to build my own web application through this program," she says. "Learning web development will empower me to bring ideas to life in ways that would not otherwise be possible."

4. Mary Obray, Working Toward Free Education

Obray is using her position as a teacher to have a unique perspective on what can be accomplished with coding. "I am excited by the prospects of helping people through technology," she tells Bustle. "We all know that technology has made our lives exponentially easier, and I look forward to continuing that trend. As a musician and a teacher, I hope to create software that promotes free education, especially music education."

With coding, the options for career growth are endless. Take a cue from these passionate women, and keep working toward your goals. You really can do it.