From cartoons to coding: Rita Vega
Meet Rita Vega! This new Girl Who Codes lives in Miami and loves to make t-shirts and cartoons. Since starting with the Summer Immersion Program hosted by the Knight Foundation at Miami Dade College, Rita has stepped outside of her comfort zone, learned to code, and joined the Girls Who Code sisterhood. Rita wasn’t sure what she wanted to do with her future before, but now hopes to integrate her love of illustration with her new coding skills. Her advice for girls who aren’t sure if coding is right for them: “What do you have to lose?”
Read more about this stellar Girl Who Codes in the Q&A below:
Why join the Girls Who Code movement?
I joined Girls Who Code because I wanted to explore the field of computer science. I am still trying to figure out what I would like to pursue when I grow up, and since my freshman year in high school I have tried to involve myself in different fields to see what I like and what I do not like. So far, I have been LOVING this program! I feel like computer science is the way to go. Last year, I went to UCLA for a medical program and when compared to Girls Who Code it is not comparable. Do not get me wrong, the program about medicine was nice and all that but Girls Who Code combines fun with learning and I love it! So I am glad I joined this movement.
What do you like about being a Girl Who Codes?
I love that I could be myself. Everybody around me is very supportive and motivating. I love that I learn something new everyday and how I could take this home and talk to my family and friends about all of this new information I have gained. I also love that it has been helping me figure out what I plan to do when I grow up. Not to mention the opportunity to meet new people (my favorite thing to do) and see what they have to share with me.
What’s your favorite part of being involved with the Summer Immersion Program?
The opportunity to explore the wonders of computer science and the opportunity to meet new people and see what they have to offer. Meeting new people is my favorite thing to do, and although I might be awkward sometimes, this program has helped me step out of my comfort zone. The girls that I’ve met in this program are all incredibly nice and supportive and the teachers are all so understanding and fun. I wouldn’t change anything about them!
I’ve heard that you’re really into illustrations and social media. How do you think that coding relates to those?
I enjoy drawing very much and I also have started my own brand called Vegatoons (still iffy about the name but it’ll do for now) which I created for fun. My friends have all supported me throughout this process and a lot of money and dedication has been put in throughout this whole process so I use social media to promote my drawings and shirts! Not to mention that I am also an ambassador for GetSchooled which allows me to use my own personal social media in a positive way to promote education, in which I will soon be documenting my journey in Girls Who Code to be able to share with students all around what coding is all about. Coding relates to those because in illustration, animation will have to be the main subject. My dream is to someday be able to have my own cartoon show and with coding and the art of animation I might just be able to reach my dream. With social media I could use code to create my own website and use it as a way to promote the shirts I mentioned before. This all shows how code works in many different and cool ways and I am just glad I am currently learning the art of code.
Is coding creative?
Coding is definitely creative. You can do many things through code such as building websites and changing the colors in pictures through python (ex: HOPE). You are able to do many things through code which makes it creative.
One of our Girls Who Code values is sisterhood- how have you found that in your Summer Immersion Program?
Sisterhood is definitely emphasized by my teachers here in Miami. All the girls surrounding me hold something special and they all have their own talents. They are very nice and open minded and I feel like I can be myself around them which I love so much. Now I won’t exaggerate and say that I am close to every girl in my session but I will say that everybody is treated equally and with respect. The girls I have met at this program have for sure taught me many things ranging from how to change the font in my website’s heading to what classes they have taken at their schools and how they will benefit me. Sisterhood is definitely present at my session not only by the girls learning how to code but also by the teachers. I can openly talk to them and not be embarrassed about what I would say.
What’s the hardest part about learning to code?
The hardest part about learning how to code would have to be the variety of options we have when creating a new project. For example, in scratch there are many different ways we can create a motion picture and many tools provided to us which overwhelms me because I feel like there is only one way I can solve a problem I’m having with my program but in reality there is many ways. Also, in HTML when combined with CSS it is hard for me to connect those two things together because it takes a lot of typing and testing when trying to get something to work, which sometimes gets pretty frustrating. The hardest thing would have to be being new at all these type of stuff and just feeling stuck.
What advice would you give a girl to inspire her to code?
I would tell her “what do you have to lose?” After all, technology is growing every day, which benefits those who have any sort of background knowledge with technology in advance in this world. Apparently, it is estimated that there will be 1.4 million jobs in computer related fields by the year 2020. So when looking at the statistics it is obvious that people should be starting to have a sense on the benefits coding has to offer. But it’s not all about the future and jobs, it is also the opportunity to be able to learn something new and be able to expand your interests and be able to pass it along to those who are also interested. Having many skills comes in handy and being able to learn new things everyday helps you grow as a person.
What do you want to be able to do with code?
I want to be able to create my own game or website. I am looking more at the animation and creative side of coding because it suits me best and I enjoy learning about it. I am also interested in learning how to develop softwares and all those tech related issues. With code I would like to be able to make something that’ll benefit those around me.
What’s next? What do you want your future to look like?
I want my future to be filled with new experiences. Next would be building my own website for my shirts and be able to share it with as many people as possible. I feel like learning the basics of coding will open many doors for me and I am just so glad I decided to join Girls Who Code!
Follow her on social media!
Twitter: @ritaavega
Instagram: @rita.vega
