Congratulations to Codefy of McLean – winner of the 2021 Governor’s Volunteerism and Community Service Award for Outstanding Education Organization! The vast majority of computer programmers across the globe are male. Seeing a lack of computer programming courses in their own
school, one determined group of female students in Northern Virginia decided to work to change that statistic in their own community.

The students created Codefy, an organization providing free computer programming courses to middle and high school students. In just two years, the organization has grown to include more than 600 volunteers and more than 10 courses reflecting a variety of programming languages. These courses were developed for an audience of middle and high schoolteachers to implement, but has expanded to include participants of all ages.

The impact of Codefy can be measured by the number of students that have benefited from the free course work. Currently there are 600 students taking courses throughout Virginia and across the country! To support their efforts, they also seek and train volunteers with the same remarkable work ethic and passion for programming.

The group of high school students that developed the organization and lead the implementation of coursework are a remarkable group of young ladies who want others to experience their passion for technology. The students volunteer their time and run their business outside of their traditional school hours and during the summer. They all plan to continue their service throughout their time at college and continually strive to train mentors and leaders to sustain the organization. With passion and drive to make a difference, these remarkable students will no doubt help move the needle for diversity in technology fields in the future!

Read more Volunteer Stories!

Submit a Story!