NEWBOCO: From Club to Hackathon - A Student’s Journey to Empower Peers Through Tech

Fatima Torres, a junior at Jefferson High School, has long dreamed of a future in video game development — especially creating the kinds of visual novels she loves to play. But when she discovered her school didn’t offer after-school coding opportunities, she turned to her teachers for guidance. That search led her to NewBoCo’s Girls Who Code Clubs program.

Torres quickly found a sense of belonging and inspiration through Girls Who Code. From the very first day, she was welcomed into a community of girls and allies who didn’t fit the usual stereotype of what the field of STEM looks like. “It motivates me to go do something more, to try something else, and to learn different things. I love that,” said Torres.

Inspired by her fall session with the program, Torres took the initiative to start a coding club at Jefferson High School in Cedar Rapids. Open to everyone — from beginners to more experienced students — the club focuses on building skills through guest speakers, projects, and collaboration. Currently, they’re diving into robotics, with game development on the horizon.

“A lot of people in the coding club didn’t really know how to code at first — they just thought it sounded interesting and wanted to try,” Torres said. “Every time something works, they get so excited. And I get that same feeling — it’s such a proud moment, even if it’s something small like changing the font color on a website. Seeing it work is just so cool.”

Her passion and leadership haven’t gone unnoticed.

“Since getting involved with Girls Who Code, Fatima has really come into her own — as both a student and a leader,” said Alex Boomershine, Industrial Technology teacher at Jefferson High School. “Starting the Coding Club at our school is a perfect example of how she’s turned her passion into action that benefits the whole community.”

Now, Torres is taking on her next big project: helping organize a 12-hour, student-led hackathon on June 7, in partnership with the coding club at Linn-Mar High School — an event designed to strengthen collaboration and community across schools.

“The hackathon is an event where participants tackle a task in groups — often with people they don’t know — and work together to create a project,” Torres explained. “Then it gets judged, and they have the chance to win prizes.”

Torres is excited to collaborate with other school programs to make the hackathon, such as getting volunteers and spreading the word to get students signed up. “Fatima collaborating with Linn-Mar on the hackathon takes that to the next level by connecting students from different schools around a shared interest,” said Boomershine. “That kind of experience can be a turning point in a young person's future. We are all about opening eyes to all the opportunities around us.”

For Fatima, it all started with a desire to learn — but Girls Who Code gave her something more: the confidence to lead, the skills to create, and the vision to build something bigger than herself, that continues after she graduates. With each new project, from school clubs to regional hackathons, she’s not just preparing for a future in computer science — she’s actively shaping it. And along the way, she’s bringing others with her.

Jessica Abdoney is marketing and communications coordinator at NewBoCo. Comments: jessica.abdoney@newbo.co