My first day story
Hi! My name is Fawziyah and I am a Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program alum from 2016. Last summer changed my life. So, I wanted to share the good, not so good and sometimes awkward memories from the first day in what became a life-changing summer.
So.. sit tight as I bless your timeline with my hilarious and real first day story,
Monday, Day 1:
12:00A.M
I try to close my eyes, but I feel like a little child who can’t sleep the night before her birthday party. I imagine all of the new people and amazing things I’ll get to learn during the Summer Immersion Program. After hours counting sheep, I FINALLY drift off to sleep.
3:00A.M
Is it time yet? I wake up anxiously only to realize It’s just 3 in the morning. I count to a hundred and try to fall asleep again.
9:00A.M
I overslept!
I jump out of bed, grab my neatly laid out first day outfit, and race to the bathroom past a bewildered grandmother. My friend and I had planned to commute to our Girls Who Code classroom in D.C together. In anticipation, we had taken a trip to the location to run through our itinerary. But — thanks to my forgetfulness — I didn’t remember the route and, conveniently, my phone had broken a few weeks earlier.
Without a phone and without my friend, I decided I’d attempt finding my Summer Immersion Classroom the old fashioned way: by asking directions. But as I walked out the door, I realized I had forgotten something else: my shoes!
Once my shoes were on, I ran out the door and to the bus stop as fast as I could!
On the ride downtown, my nerves took over and thoughts flooded my head:
“What if the bus already left?”
“What if they already started teaching?”
“What if the door is closed?”
“ What if they hate me because I woke up late?”
9:40A.M
The bus was stuck in traffic…Ugh.
I wondered if my class would understand if I told them that I overslept because I was up all night with excitement about our summer together?
10:30A.M
Finally, I arrived in downtown DC but I had NO CLUE or memory of where the Georgetown building was.
I asked for help from anyone who would pay attention. Finally I met Anne — shout out to you, Anne, you’re the best — and she helped me find the building.
1:00P.M
Welcome to Programming…
Two hours into arriving to my Summer Immersion Program classroom, we were officially getting into programming, beginning with scratch. After the lecture, we were given a team task called Chopped — -yes just like the TV show.
At this point, my heart was racing. The other girls on my team and in my class seemed to float easily through the task. I felt insecure. My google search was flooded with questions like “how to be a better programmer,” even though it was only my first day.
Looking back , I laugh at the situation — it was my first time learning how to code, and I was aiming to be perfect. Luckily, that summer showed me that perfection doesn’t exist and that trial and error will get you a lot further than fear.
Last summer gave me the confidence to own my failures and not be afraid to try something new. Since then, I’ve caught the coding bug and try to teach anyone I can find who is remotely interested in learning how to code. I’m so glad I woke up — even though it was late — that morning!
Thank you GWC and thank you BSA sisters!
Written by Fawziyah Alebiosu
