Summer 2019, I volunteered at AddisCoder, a summer program designed to introduce high schoolers to computer science. AddisCoder, located in Ethiopia, is a non-profit summer program that introduces Ethiopian high school students to advanced programming and algorithms. Many students in Ethiopia lack access to technology and exposure to computer science. AddisCoder is one of the only programs working to bridge this gap.
My journey with AddisCoder began with an email to Dr. Timnit Gebru and Dr. Jelani Nelson. I just so happened to be going to Ethiopia that summer to visit my family for the first time in six years. I wanted the chance to give back my newly learned skills in computer science to my community. I learned computer science for the first time the previous summer, at Vanderbilt Summer Academy. My high school did not offer computer science courses so I invested time into finding resources outside of the classroom. Through this experience, I knew I wanted to intersect my passion for teaching and newfound love for computer science. AddisCoder seemed to be the perfect avenue to do so.
As a volunteer, I installed operating systems and programming environments on computers throughout several labs in Addis Ababa University. I helped create exercises for students on topics ranging from variables to data structures. I served as a teaching assistant where I provided assistance to students individually during lab. To help clarify difficult concepts, I was in charge of giving lectures to students in lab.
The students spoke various regional languages, and many had never used computers before. I didn’t know their languages, but I knew how to connect with them. During lunch, I sat with the students to help them feel more comfortable in the new environment. To make the college-level coursework less intimidating, I created exercises around Ethiopian pop culture and related computer science theory to familiar mathematics concepts. By the end of the program, I developed close relationships with many of the students, and today, students continue to contact me for support. These friendships remind me that the ability for us to empathize and connect with one another transcends any language barrier.
Reflecting on where I am today, its amazing to realize how far I have truly come. I now have the opportunity to study computer science at Stanford University, I have developed computer science curriculum for multiple organizations, and I continue to teach computer science today. My passion never dwindled, but rather continues to grow each day. I look back at naive 17-year old Hawi with awe and inspiration for their fearless drive to learn and give back. I hope to be just like them each and every day.
Warmly, Hawi