Staten Island student at McKee High School mastering computer ...

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - ST. GEORGE - McKee High School sophomore Maliyah Greene is a member of Girls Who Code.

It may sound like the name of a girl band, but it's far from it. Girls Who Code is actually a group of high school-age girls with an interest in learning about computers and technology.

For eight weeks over the summer, Maliyah, 15, and 19 other young women, went Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to the AppNexus Building in Manhattan, where they learned about computer programming and engineering. The program was offered by Girls Who Code, an organization supported by Google to encourage young women to pursue careers in computer programming and technology.

The competition to become one of the Girls Who Code was stiff. Five hundred young ladies applied; only 20 were selected, and of the 20, Maliyah was the only student chosen from Staten Island.

According to Google, the purpose of Girls who Code is "to make inroads into having more young women of all socio-economic strata and ethnicities explore career paths in the tech industry."

Maliyah got to interact with top executives and designers in the tech industry. The founding director of Girls Who Code, Reshma Saujani, organized a competition for the girls to design an application (APP). Maliyah was part of the team that created an app to assist students who are English Language Learners.

The summer experience opened doors for the self-described "shy" teen from Mariners Harbor.

Maliyah will have the honor of traveling to Berkeley, Calif., next month, where she will present her APP before executives during the Intel Global Challenge conference.

She is also planning to attend the Girls Who Code Gala next week at the New York Stock Exchange, where she expects to meet and mingle with entrepreneurs, engineers and executives who will speak about increasing the number of women in technology and engineering.

"Girls Who Code has introduced me to many opportunities. We were taught by representatives from Intel, Twitter, Google, Facebook, eBay, Amazon and General Electric," she explained.

The teen said her classes at McKee have left her well-prepared for the experience.

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"I've always loved to draw, but I became interested in computer science and technology around the eighth-grade, when I started looking at what high school I wanted to attend," she explained.

After attending an open house at McKee, she knew the school would be a good fit. She said she found out about the Girls Who Code program through McKee Principal Sharon Henry.

"Girls Who Code's purpose is to inspire and educate us girls 13- to 17- years-old to pursue opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math.

"I believe it is very important for girls to get involved in technology because it is a very male dominated field. Only a small percentage of women are awarded computer-science degrees," Maliyah said.

"I am a very shy person, but I do see myself as a role model for girls who want to break into this field. I always talk to my friends about the advantages of being involved in computer science.

"I would encourage girls to get involved with computers and technology, and to get involved in as many internships and programs as they can to teach them how to code," she added.

Maliyah credited her parents ? mom, Melissa Greene, who works at Primelending Mortgage in New Jersey, and dad, Michael Greene, who is a U.S. Postal Service employee ? for their support.

She said she wants to be a role model for her younger sister, Mya Greene, 8, who attends the Staten Island School for Civic Leadership, Graniteville.

In college, she said she hopes to marry her interest in drawing with computer technology, possibly by studying animation, web design, graphic arts or engineering.

"I have another year to decide."

When she's not involved with Girls Who Code, Maliyah said she enjoys listening to music on her iPod, going to restaurants and spending time with her family.

Source: http://www.silive.com/northshore/index.ssf/2012/10/staten_island_student_at_mckee.html

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