- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Girls learn tech skills at Windstream Girl: CODE Camp

Janea Snyder — Mon, 29 Jul 2019 18:30:58 +0000

Sixteen rising eighth- and ninth-grade girls just spent a week at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock learning coding skills that will come in handy for future STEM careers. The girls coding camp, made possible with a $10,000 sponsorship from , is a one-week annual residential camp that aims to motivate academically prepared females to enter the fields of computer science, information science or web design. The program is free to participants. During the camp, which ended July 26, girls stayed in ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s on-campus housing so they also got a taste of what it’s like to be on a college campus. During the day, they worked with Thomas Wallace, senior instructor of information science and ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s coordinator of the Web Design and Development program and information technology minor. “Our focus has been on the web stack of three core technologies: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript,” Wallace said. “Each day we focused on a different layer. The afternoons were for lab, and that’s where they applied the skills they learned.” The girls also took a field trip to Windstream where they learned how to provision a phone system, participated in binary coding exercises, and toured a network lab. “Working directly with these girls, watching them work together to learn how to provision phones on Windstream’s network is truly an inspirational experience,” said Sara Lary, manager of the Law Enforcement Support Center. “Seeing their excitement when the equipment works and watching them call their parents to share their experience and enthusiasm is proof that we are doing good work and making a difference. Yesterday one of our campers said ‘This is awesome, I want to do this! What do I need to do so I can do something like this with Windstream?’ We need to keep that enthusiasm going for generations and continue to work to provide more opportunities for young girls to succeed at an early age.” Lary’s daughter is a former participant of the camp. “I got to witness firsthand how her experience attending this camp sparked a level of confidence, interest and motivation in her education and career path that she didn’t have previously,” Lary recalled. “Once she was given the opportunity to learn cool, relevant things with technology in a healthy environment, she became excited about her future. We can do this for all young girls. By fostering an interest in STEM (now STEAM) topics at a young age and working on the negative connotations and barriers that girls face today, educators, parents, and mentors can work together to help girls maintain confidence and curiosity in STEAM.” This year’s participants were selected from schools statewide based on essay, grades, test scores, and recommendations. Schools represented include Forest Heights Stem Academy, Lisa Academy West, Pinnacle View Middle School, Pulaski Academy, and Quest Academy, all in Little Rock; Fulbright Junior High School in Centerton; Ruth Doyle Middle School in Conway; and St. Joseph School in Russellville. Photo, top right: Girls gathered at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock to participate in a week-long coding camp, sponsored by Windstream. Photos left and above right: Girls participate in technology-based challenge activities at Windstream’s networking lab on July 25, 2019. Photos by Benjamin Krain

Girls Coding camp teaches foundations for STEM careers

Janea Snyder — Fri, 27 Jul 2018 16:04:29 +0000

Eighteen rising eighth- and ninth-grade girls in ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Girls Coding Camp are learning skills that might come in handy for future STEM careers. The Girls Coding Camp, made possible with a $10,000 sponsorship from , is a one-week annual residential camp now in its third year that aims to motivate academically prepared females to enter the fields of computer science, information science, or web design. The camp concluded Friday, July 27, with an open house at 10 a.m. in the Engineering and Information Technology Student Services Lab on the first floor of the EIT building. This year’s participants were selected from schools statewide based on essay, grades, test scores, and recommendations. Schools represented include Forest Heights Stem Academy, Lisa Academy West, Lisa Academy Middle School, Episcopal Collegiate and Pulaski Academy, all in Little Rock; Benton Middle School; Haas Hall Rogers in Bentonville; Lincoln Junior High School in Centerton; Cotter Public Schools; Jacksonville Middle School; Perryville High School; Watson Chapel Junior High School in Pine Bluff; Sheridan Junior High School; Warren Middle School; and West Junior High School in West Memphis. For the past week, the girls have spent their mornings in the classroom with Thomas Wallace, senior instructor of information science and ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s coordinator of the Web Design and Development program and information technology minor. “Our focus has been on the web stack of three core technologies: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript,” Wallace said. “Each day we focus on a different layer. The afternoons are for lab, and that’s where they get to apply the skills they have learned.” The girls each chose a web project to work on this week. Lesleigh Sullivan, an eighth-grade student at Episcopal Collegiate School, has been creating a biography page for her project. She is co-captain of her school’s robotics team and will be involved with VEX Club this fall. She attend last year’s coding camp and wanted to return this summer to advance her skills. “This year, I learned about HTML, which I’ve never done before,” she said. “It was nice learning a new technology.” The girls stay in on-campus housing during the week, so they also get a taste of what it’s like to be on a college campus. Earlier this week, they took a field trip to Windstream, where they visited labs to see how networking equipment is tested. In addition to hands-on instruction, the girls attend “Girl Talk” seminars featuring female professionals to learn more about opportunities available for females in computer and information science.

The girls tour Windstream.

“It’s nice to know there are so many women in STEM fields who are setting the path for us so we can do something better,” said Emily Ye, an incoming eighth-grader at Forest Heights STEM Academy. One of the featured speakers was ��Vlog��ý Little Rock alumna Christina Copley, who is head of information technology systems transformation for Windstream’s Consumer and Small Business Division. Copley attended the University of Central Arkansas where she began a major in kinesiology, thinking she wanted to be a coach. Then, she took an elective course in the Information Technology program and loved it. “I thought there would be more opportunities for me there, so I switched majors,” Copley said. She started working at Alltel as a data warehousing intern and continued working for the company while she took night classes at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock to earn her MBA in 2014. The girls asked Copley all sorts of questions: How many coding languages do you know? When you were our age, did you think you would be a stay-at-home mom? Do you think your job is different because you’re a woman? Then, finally, they stumped her: “Who is your favorite Chris?” (Chris Pine, Chris Evans, or Chris Hemsworth?) “They were not shy and I like that,” Copley said. “When I was in eighth grade, I didn’t know any women in IT. It wasn’t clear to me that was even a path. These STEM programs are important for girls to know there are options. Now is the age when you plant the seed.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock student earns prestigious accounting scholarship

Ajani Oyindamola — Mon, 03 Jul 2017 13:03:54 +0000

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock student is one of only 30 students in the nation to receive a scholarship from the National Society of Accountants. Nathan Nalley, a senior accounting major, received a $1,100 scholarship from the . “The scholarship was a tremendous help for me,” Nalley said. “I am glad of the help to get me through my last semester of college.” Nalley, 33, of Benton, is an accounting clerk at Windstream. Once he graduates in December, he plans to work at an accounting firm and eventually open up his own tax and bookkeeping business. Since its inception in 1969, the National Society of Accountants’ scholarship foundation has provided more than $1 million to students pursuing an accounting career. Undergraduate and graduate students were selected based on academic achievements, leadership, activities, career goals, and financial need. “These students are the best and brightest candidates working to earn accounting degrees,” Scholarship Foundation President Sharon Cook said in a news release. “We are pleased to support them and look forward to having them join the accounting profession.” Nalley served as pastor of Gravel Hill Baptist Church in Benton for three years but left in 2016 to pursue a career to provide better for his growing family. Nalley and his wife, Carly, are the proud parents of four sons ages, 3, 5, 6, and 7. He’s grateful to Shannon Gwinn, director of the Center for Student and Career Services in the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock College of Business, for helping him find a job as an administrative assistant at Frazier & Rickels, P.A., less than a month after he enrolled at the university. Since becoming a student at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in January 2016, Nalley has been active on campus, joining Beta Gamma Sigma, Beta Alpha Psi and the Accounting Society. He also received the 2017 Beta Alpha Psi and Accounting Society Scholarship. As a member of Beta Alpha Psi, for which he will serve as president in the fall, Nalley has given back by participating in service activities. The group hosts a Reality Fair in the College of Business that has students explore a career to find out what they can and cannot afford with the anticipated salary. Twice a year, the group gives speeches on careers in accounting to students enrolled in the Arkansas National Guard, a residential program for at-risk boys.

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

Girls learn tech skills at Windstream Girl: CODE Camp

Girls Coding camp teaches foundations for STEM careers

����Vlog��ý Little Rock student earns prestigious accounting scholarship

- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

��Vlog��ý Little Rock student earns prestigious accounting scholarship