Fleurianne Debe just started her senior year of high school, but unlike most students her age - she already graduated.

Instead, on July 20, 2017, the 17-year-old celebrated her graduation, and an educational milestone, with the Girls Who Code and State Farm Insurance.

“It's awesome,” said Fleurianne. “I learned about science, technology engineering and math. My mom told me about this special program and I enrolled because I’m really into gaming. It was right up my alley!”

Girls Who Code (GWC), is a national nonprofit organization working to close the gender gap in technology. Its summer immersion program helps young women like Fleurianne develop their STEM skills.

“Technology is changing everything about the way we live and work,” said Girls Who Code Founder and CEO, Reshma Saujani. “Computing jobs are some of the fastest-growing and highest paying in our country, yet girls continue to get left behind. Access to a computer science education can bring women into a thriving innovation economy.”

The Journey Begins

Fleurianne, along with 19 students, took part in the summer GWC program in Atlanta, Georgia. Hosted by State Farm, the seven-week course helps teens develop their technological skills, learn about STEM careers and meet with women working in the tech industry.

“The chance to be mentored by these professionals meant a lot to me. This entire experience helped my self-confidence grow,” smiled Fleurianne. “I discovered so much about systems, IT and coding.”

Throughout the summer, students also learned how to construct webpages, build apps, develop a social media network and even work with robots.

“I loved the hands-on tech exposure,” smiled Fleurianne. “Now, I can code. And the best part? Now I can show other girls how to do it too.”

Program Instructors like Kat Graff say this year’s GWC participants demonstrated teamwork and a commitment to excellence.

“When they arrived on the State Farm campus, many of them didn’t have any coding experience. But you’d never know that now. I’m confident great things lie ahead for these young women.”

For companies like State Farm, it’s a chance to deliver on the company’s commitment to empowering communities. “We make significant contributions to STEM education and women in technology efforts at the company level,” said State Farm IT Senior Vice President Sandy Arnold. “This program had an even bigger impact because our State Farm employees personally invested in these students. Seeing the positive results first-hand was so inspiring.”

The Adventure Continues

“I learned anything is possible if I put my mind to it,” said Fleurianne. “Because of GWC, I want to pursue a computer science degree in college.”

Before then, she needs to complete her senior year. But Fleurianne plans to take Girls Who Code with her.

“I want to create a Girls Who Code club at my high school,” she explained. “Being a young woman who is interested in technology makes me feel like I’m breaking boundaries, and that’s really cool. Now, I want to help others like me do the same thing.”

As for her long term goal? Being part of the good neighbor community could be in sight.

“When the time comes, I’d love to be a State Farm intern,” said Fleurianne. “I want to continue building my knowledge and creativity. Thanks to GWC, my journey has just begun!”

State Farm is a financial supporter of Girls Who Code and its commitment to STEM education. To learn more about its programs and ways to get involved, click here. Interested in learning about STEM partnerships in Atlanta, Georgia? Contact State Farm IT Analyst, Katrina Torres (katrina.r.torres.phbi@statefarm.com).

GWC Graduation Recap

“I used to take my toys apart. While I did put the pieces back together…it still freaked my parents out,” she said.

Behind this innocent destruction was destiny. With each doll, truck, and train    Dominque disassembled, she built something else…her engineering skills.

“I’m fascinated by this profession,” she said. “At a young age, I decided I wanted to learn about engineering and nothing was going to stop me.”

In high school, Dominique joined the Arizona Chief Science Officer (CSO) Program. The organization, supported by State Farm, gets students involved in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) activities, while teaching them about careers in these fields.

“STEM is all around us,” said State Farm Senior IT Architect Ines Halloran. “Our mission is to engage with universities and high schools to build a pipeline of future IT talent.”

So, how does peanut butter and jelly fit in?

During a CSO institute, State Farm volunteers used a childhood favorite – the PB&J, to demonstrate the importance of algorithms.

“It’s a step by step process,” said Dominique. “This was an awesome way to explain programming basics. It made us think about a simple process in a thorough, innovative way.”

Students plotted the steps needed to build the perfect PB&J, then shared their algorithms with volunteers – who played the role of a computer. If the algorithm made sense, then the computer (a.k.a., the volunteers), would be able to create this end result:

Students like Clay Hauser and Calvin Rowell say the peanut butter and jelly challenge proves STEM is rooted in everyday life, no matter who you are or where you work.

“It’s not just for scientists with doctorate degrees or highly trained medical professionals,” said Calvin. “Sometimes the most influential workers are those with technical degrees, teaching degrees, musicians, actors. If you want to make something even better, STEM can help.”

From Peanut Butter to Brain Power

The CSO program spans beyond peanut butter and jelly – from classroom to community success. Its unique learning opportunities  inspired CSO students to start after-school STEM clubs, take part in  science festivals, host innovative workshops, and network with State Farm IT employees.

This work has been recognized throughout the country, including the nation’s capital.

By exposing students to new ways of thinking, the CSO program hopes   to develop a diverse talent pool of future STEM leaders.

“I have worked with hundreds, maybe thousands of IT professionals over my 26 year career, and the differentiator is passion and determination to succeed.” said Halloran.

And as for Dominique? The CSO program has inspired her to pursue her passion of becoming a mechanical engineer.

“Right now, it’s a male dominated field, but this program proves gender doesn’t matter when it comes to success,” she said. “If your heart wants to experiment with science, robots or video games – do it. The CSO program taught me anything is possible when you put your mind to it.”

Just like learning to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich...it’s a   simple lesson, with a satisfying result.

Teachers in Greeley, Colorado are going back to school - not as teachers, as students.

The University of Northern Colorado (UNC) Math Department is burning the midnight oil helping local middle school math teachers stay sharp. Formed in 2013, a team of math professors, passionate about teaching, became the Northern Colorado Math Teachers' Circle (NoCOMTC). 

"Our goal as a Math Circle, is for teachers to use the problem-solving skills learned in the workshops and return to their classrooms excited about mathematics, increasing student learning as a result," shares Dr. Gulden Karakok, co-director of NoCOMTC, and UNC School of Mathematical Sciences faculty member.

Teacher/participants sign-up for the evening workshops that focus on problem-solving activities. They go once a month for three hours of intensive work.

“As a ‘teacher-student’ in the workshops, I see math from my students’ point of view,” shared one teacher/participant.

This type of program is not a new concept, but Dr. Karakok believes their program is truly unique.

“Our participants are not just learning how to administer tasks more strategically, they’re actually completing the work,” says Karakok. “Our goal as Mathematicians and Circle leaders is to create a culture of problem-solving.”

Surveys are sent home to participants after each session. Comments are overwhelmingly positive. The results show an increase in teacher confidence and a heightened comfort level with problem-solving strategies in the classroom.

“I enjoyed doing real math again and returned to my students with a lot of practical classroom management ideas with an expanded network of other math teachers!” another participant stated.

In addition to the activities, the participants share ideas and create new professional relationships.

“The workshops, supported by State Farm, really focus on putting the participant in the role of learner. This experience has been a point for reflection and planning for me as a teacher,” said another participant.

Dr. Karakok shared, because of the success workshop series, NoCOMTC expanded the program to include a week-long workshop series away from home and distractions. Slots filled up quick and there’s already a waiting list for next year. It’s a good problem to have!

What kind of problems do the teachers-turned-students solve?

(Source: The art of problem solving: A resource for the mathematics teacher)

Folding Triangles: A triangle is cut, at random, from a piece of paper and a vertex is folded to the midpoint of the opposite side.

What shapes can result, and what determines which one appears?

But the Vestal and Binghamton communities in the Southern Tier of New York state are more than up for the challenge.

The Kopernik Observatory & Science Center, one of the top equipped public observatories in the Northeast, opened its doors in 1974. Today, there are plans to expand the center, creating a science park with an outdoor learning facility, a playground and a (STEM) educational experience.

Currently, Kopernik serves 10,000 people annually. The goal is to double the visitors through expanded programming and the new science park.

Sounds like a great plan. But the community needed more funding. Fortunately, the Junior League of Binghamton heard about the State Farm Neighborhood Assist grant program through a local State Farm agent, Dean Hurley.

Not only did they win one of the 40 grants, but the crowdsourcing program helped kick off the half-million dollar science park project campaign. It reenergized the community about the need and importance of STEM programs. “We will have playground equipment unlike any other playground in the area. It will be a destination for people of the Southern Tier and tourists,” said Rachel Consolazio, a member of the Junior League of Binghamton.

“There’s opportunities to have a merry-go-round that has a generator built into it, so as the kids are running around, they’re creating electricity and running devices. Or, they might learn about friction through a slide,” said Drew Deskur, Director of the Kopernik Observatory and Science Center.

Soon the new, expanded (and free!) park will be open. Those goals aren’t so lofty anymore.