Fellowship Milestones:
School Community Activities.
As a foundational, mandatory element of the nine-month fellowship journey, every single fellow takes the lead in planning and delivering interactive tech sessions for students in local public and community schools. This isn't just an assignment—it is a deeply meaningful chance to give back, connect with local communities, and put leadership into real-world practice by opening doors for the next generation.
By stepping into these classrooms, fellows take existing school resources and turn them into welcoming, creative spaces for children who might otherwise never get an early look at coding. Managing everything ourselves—from reaching out to school principals and coordinating dates to building lesson plans—helps every fellow grow into a confident leader. We learn to collaborate, communicate, solve problems on the fly, and play an active role in making the tech world more diverse right from the grassroots level.
The Core Classroom Sessions
Hour of Code
An engaging, one-hour introduction to computer science using Scratch. We make use of the school's existing computer labs to spark curiosity and show kids that they can be creators of technology, not just consumers.
Career Counseling
A warm, open conversation exploring where a future in IT can take them. Fellows share real pathways, demystify college degrees, and talk about the diverse opportunities waiting for them in engineering and technology.
Internet Security
A friendly guide to staying safe online. We talk openly about digital citizenship, social media safety, creating uncrackable passwords, and how to spot sneaky scams or fake websites before clicking.
Moments From the Classrooms
Watching the pure excitement of students running their very first lines of block code on Scratch, collaborating and solving logic puzzles together.
An open, lively discussion about staying safe online, where students actively share their thoughts on social media and digital ethics.
Training of Trainers (ToT)
Before setting foot in a school, fellows go through an intensive Training of Trainers workshop. It is a supportive, collaborative space where we practice how to break down complex topics, keep young students engaged, and plan out a smooth one-hour session.
We talk through real classroom challenges, like how to handle a sudden power cut, backing up data beforehand, and setting up backup options for computers. Fellows dive deep into the Scratch curriculum, building their own sample projects so they can stand in front of a class with total confidence and enthusiasm.
The Fellow's Checklist
- ✔ Independent school outreach & connection
- ✔ Customizing lesson plans using Scratch
- ✔ Delivering interactive, supportive sessions
- ✔ Collecting feedback & sharing classroom insights
Incredible Adaptability & Curiosity
The absolute highlight of this program is seeing just how fast students adapt. Even in classrooms where many kids have never had hands-on exposure to coding, their natural curiosity instantly shines through. When real-world challenges pop up—like running low on available computers—the children immediately step up, happily sharing screens, helping neighbors debug their blocks, and figuring out logic problems as a team. By the end of the hour, many are proudly showcasing animations they built completely from scratch.
The conversations around internet safety are just as inspiring. Instead of just listening to rules, students jump in with insightful questions about protecting their digital lives. They want to know exactly how two-factor authentication works, how to create unbreakable passwords, and how to spot clever phishing links or scam texts on mobile devices. For our fellows, this experience is incredibly empowering; it builds resilience, sharpens communication skills, and shows them the profound joy of seeing a young student discover a newfound confidence in tech.
A Continuous Journey of Impact
Because this school activity framework is a foundational milestone that every single fellow completes, the true impact ripples beautifully across multiple cohorts, school districts, and communities year after year.
100%
Fellow Dedication
Every fellow steps up as a mentor, bringing technology straight to local schools.
84%
Coding Interest
Of surveyed students show a massive jump in their confidence and understanding of computer science.
90%
Safety Awareness
Of young participants leave with the real-world knowledge needed to protect themselves online.
By looping this shared effort year after year, we are planting seeds for a more inclusive, diverse tech space. We are showing students at the grassroots level that computing belongs to them too, breaking down old digital divides and fostering tech leadership right where it matters most.
Learning & Refining Our Process
To keep our reporting smooth and capture thoughts while they are completely fresh, we require fellows to submit their session reviews immediately after teaching.
Fellows also share their presentation slides beforehand. This extra step ensures our creative approach is totally aligned with the fellowship's goals and stays beautifully consistent across every single school we visit.
Consistent, Accessible Learning
We rely entirely on highly interactive, block-based coding platforms to keep things approachable, visual, and genuinely fun for young minds.
To make sure every community school gets an equally great experience, fellows follow a structured foundational computing module. This shared blueprint gives everyone a beautiful framework while leaving plenty of room for individual creative flair.