South Bend Code School Creates Opportunities

The South Bend Code School is changing the lives of high schoolers by giving them the opportunity to learn coding and jumpstart careers in tech. Camisa Vines is one former student who has made the most of this opportunity.

Video Transcript

Narrator: Coding is the language that computers use. From the apps on your phone, to the websites that you visit, without code, none of this would be possible.

Alex is an entrepreneur and a mentor.

Alex: I was a senior in college, and I was tutoring at local high schools in the area. And I noticed that so many high school seniors did not feel like they had very much opportunity.

South Bend, Indiana

Alex: Often those students were also being told that without a college education, then the possibility of them having a profitable career was slim to none.

Alex teaches students from every cross-section of the community. And the Code School secures scholarships for kids that need them.

Alex to classroom: Yeah? Write it down. Write it down. Let’s see if you remember how to write that in CSS.

Alex: And so I just remember at the time thinking that I was 21, and I didn’t have it all together, so how is it that the world kind of expects 18 year olds to then have it all together?

Camisa is a high school senior and former Code School student, and is now an intern at the South Bend Code School.

Camisa: My personality, I guess … I love a challenge, and I never want anyone to tell me I can’t do anything.

I had a friend who was in the South Bend Code School. I think she stopped. She felt like, maybe she wasn’t worthy enough to fulfill a career in the tech industry.

Only 22% of “AP Computer Science” students are women.

Camisa: Just being in code school, now I have an idea of what I want to do with the rest of my life, and I think I’m lucky to know so young. Made me want to continue, and just to see how far I could go.

Poster reads, “Camisa Vines, 2017 Award for Excellent Student CTE District 7!”

Alex: She creates her own challenges for herself. She does all of the projects and things that we have here, but then she thinks to herself, “What would be a cool thing I could make with code?” And then she builds it.

Alex to Camisa: I’m so proud of you!

Camisa to Alex: Thank you.

Alex: Seeing that independence kind of flourish with her, that in particular is really really cool to see.

Narrator: If a student feels stuck, coding can be the tool to go beyond what they imagine. You don’t need a lot to get going, but once you have a little bit, you become very powerful.

Award Announcer: She’s a shining example of exactly what that means. Congratulations, Indiana Intern of the Year, Camisa Vines.