Written by volunteer writer Amy Freeman

The mission of TechGirlz is to “inspire middle school girls to explore the possibilities of technology to empower their future careers.” One way to see that inspiration in action is to look at what many TechGirlz decide to do once they graduate from the program.

Many, such as Lindsey Davis, remained involved with TechGirlz. They join the Teen Advisory Board and serve as TAs during workshops.

Lindsey is 17 and a member of the Teen Advisory Board. She recently lead the Designing Mobile Apps workshop in Bryn Mawr.

She was familiar with the topic of the workshop, as she’d attended the program back when she herself was in middle school. She was excited to “come back full circle and serve as a TA,” as she’s always been interested in apps. In her opinion, the TechShop itself is pretty fun to teach and serves as a great introduction to the topic.

During the workshop, Lindsey enjoyed the opportunity to watch the girls work together to come up with an idea for the app and to solve any problems that popped up on the way. She also loved having the chance to introduce technology to a younger group of girls and the opportunity to help them discover a love for STEM.

Teaching the Designing Mobile Apps workshop was a learning experience for Lindsey, too. She got a better sense of how to lead the TechShop during the next one. She also got some insight into how to better engage with the girls and how to bring the subject of the workshop to life.

As teenager interested in STEM topics and machine learning technology, Lindsey spends a lot of her time learning new platforms, tools and apps. She works with technology daily, both at school and in her free time.

Although she’s only 17, she already feels the gender imbalance in tech. In her opinion, there won’t be positive change unless more girls feel able to step forward and share their interests, ideas, and discoveries about tech with the rest of the world. One way to do that is by continuing to volunteer at TechGirlz workshops, introducing more and more girls to tech topics and helping them see the opportunities available to them.

Overall, Lindsey believes the Designing Mobile Apps workshop was a success. She can’t wait to volunteer at more TechShops in the future.