Girls aren’t just coding; they’re rewriting the script.

Riya Kamat, a junior at SAS, blends her passion for technology and powerlifting to explore how strength fuels leadership and resilience. She believes technology should include everyone and be shaped by many different voices. 

When alumna Adriana (class of 2025) first entered the robotics lab, she noticed a stark contrast. All the boys were operating the robot’s controller, while all the girls were roaming around with clipboards, only observing and noting. But Adriana refused to be limited by such expectations. Within a year, she created her own version of “Girl Powered” workshops where girls not only took notes of robot stats, but also operated the machines. In the following season, the team went from having zero female drivers to three!

“When you walk into a lab and know you belong, then you fight to stay,” Adriana, says with a smile.

This sense of belongingness sparked a quiet revolution at SAS. For far too long, STEM has been seen as a boys’ playground due to societal stereotypes, gaps in early exposure, and the lack of female representation. At SAS, students and teachers are challenging these outdated notions. One hackathon at a time, we are rewriting the code.

Evelyn is a current junior who grew passionate about coding during the pandemic. A friend introduced her to HTML, and what began as a hobby turned into enrolling in coding classes and eventually opting for the AP Computer Science class. She has grown, but the reactions haven’t changed. People still ask “you?” with a puzzled look when they learn she’s in Advanced Placement Computer Science (AP CS). “Are you seriously asking me that?” Evelyn laughs in response. This disbelief acts as her fuel.

“Girls need to know it’s okay to work in a male-dominated field,” exclaimed Evelyn. We only discover what we enjoy after we try it once.

 Some alumni, like Jayesha (class of 2025), believed that simply joining a club was not enough. If we had to alter the trend, we would have to create new environments. Thus, she founded SAS’s chapter of Girls Who Code (GWC) after observing how all existing coding clubs on campus were led by boys. “We need a space where girls can learn freely, without preconceived notions, judgements, and challenges,” she shared. The GWC club now hosts hackathons that welcome beginners, students with no coding experience, and highlight how coding is more about creativity than complexity. Although some pushback always remains. Even now, when girls try to speak up in AP CS, they get sidelined.

“Have unwavering faith. Don’t be afraid to stir things up. You belong here just as much as anyone else,” Jayesha’s final words. 

Ms. Khan is the teacher who helps us keep the door to opportunity open. She understands that culture, and not just curriculum, influences who pursues STEM. She reflected, “Boys often dominate CS because they encounter it first. Girls feel like they’re already behind when they arrive.” Now, she plans to encourage young girls to start early, with the help of highlighting female role models in assemblies, programs like Hour of Code at the elementary level, and using PTA to influence parents, especially mothers, to facilitate greater female participation.

“Boys need to realize it’s normal and necessary for girls to be present in all spaces,” Ms. Khan concluded.

While reflecting on these stories, a clear pattern emerges. Adriana hands back the robot controller to the girls, Evelyn breaks the mold by being fully present, Jayesha creates a community where none existed, and Ms. Khan ensures that the next generation doesn’t have to wait till high school to feel they belong. These women demonstrate that STEM at SAS is not only about science and technology, it’s about transforming culture.

So, next time someone claims, “But girls don’t code,” a SAS student would easily prove them wrong by writing a line of code, assembling a robot, and winning a hackathon. This is not a place where girls are merely entering STEM classrooms; this is the place where we are rewriting the rules to make them smarter, stronger, and sharper.