Creative Coder

I didn’t know much about how coding applied to the real world until I did an internship at Microsoft when I was in high school. We built gaming apps that people can play on phones. I created social media accounts for our app. I used data to figure out how to get followers. I liked that you need to add creativity to coding to bring projects to life.

First, I went to my public library to do research. I read things like the Junie B. Jones books to help me get inside the minds of my audience, 7-to-10-year-olds. I also used a lot of my own experiences, like when I went to coding camp.

My first idea was to create a picture book with just Sasha explaining coding. When I sent the book to agents, one suggested that it should be a chapter book instead. After I made it into a chapter book, agents rejected it again. I was discouraged, but I didn’t give up.

My mom suggested that I list the reasons why I believed the book was needed. Writing them down convinced me. That gave me the motivation I needed to keep going. I decided to raise money online and publish the book myself. In exchange for contributing money, people received items such as copies of the book. I raised close to $18,000! It was amazing. That showed me that this book was truly needed and that people were inspired by my story.

I want to spread awareness about coding, so I go to schools and events to talk to students and teachers. TV shows and movies make it seem like people create coding projects alone, but that’s not the case. I hope my books will inspire kids to be creative and tackle problems they care about together. I want students to dream big!