For Maurya Couvares, learning to code was a game changer.
“I was working in a law firm’s pro bono department, responsible for reporting out data on our pro bono programs,” she remembers. “And I was using clumsily using Excel to understand the data. A friend told me that if I learned to code, I could write a script that would do all the reporting for me in 15 minutes.”
The gears started turning. A former teacher, Couvares realized that coding could make a big difference in the lives of students from underserved neighborhoods.
“Many young people I knew were super interested in technology, but had never met anyone who worked in technology, and had no idea about the different careers that are possible in the tech industry,” says Couvares.
That led to the founding of ScriptEd, a non-profit that provides real opportunity for young students in the New York City area. Its programs concentrate on teaching students coding skills and providing them with professional experiences.
What year was your organization founded? ScriptEd was founded in 2012 in New York City.
How many employees are in your organization?
Our team has grown to 19 people, including two in our new office in the San Francisco Bay area.
What building are you based in?
WeWork [85 Broad St].
What made you want to get involved in this kind of work?
Learning to code was more empowering for me than any other skill I had learned since school. I had worked in schools, both as a teacher and as an after-school program coordinator earlier in my career. And I thought of the students I had worked with, and the new possibilities that learning to code could open up in their lives. Even though demand for software developers was exploding, very few high schools offered computer programming courses. I saw a vital need to teach students real-world coding skills and expose them to highly-paid, high-demand careers in tech.
What makes your organization unique?
A lot of organizations teach students coding skills. What makes ScriptEd unique is our focus on coding careers—our work isn’t done until our students have a job in tech. Our introductory classes are taught by volunteer software developers who take time out of their day jobs to teach real-world coding skills in under-resourced schools. For our advanced students, our goal is to place every eligible student in a paid summer internship at a tech company where they can build professional skills and networks that will help them land a job in tech. We are looking for internship partners for this summer, and would be thrilled to hear from any WeWork members who are interested in creating a life-changing opportunity for our students.
What was a moment you were inspired by the work you were doing?The most inspiring moments always happen in the classroom. At the beginning of the year, we’ll have a classroom full of students who have never seen a line of code before, and volunteers who have never taught a high school class before. Everyone is there to learn new skills, and I’m always deeply inspired by the hard work, fearlessness, and persistence that our community brings into the classroom.
What has been you biggest hurdle?
The biggest challenge I’ve come across as the cofounder and leader of a growing organization is finding the right balance between managing our growth and staying involved in the day-to-day operations. It’s so important for me to stay connected to the students and volunteers who make our work possible. I’ve made an effort to stay in the classroom. This year, I went back into the classroom to teach two days a week at one of our partner schools, and I hope to continue doing that as long as I can!
How do you and your organization want to change the world?
If we can also help make the tech industry more diverse by creating a new talent pipeline from communities that are traditionally underrepresented, that would be a big win for all.