Despite the growing importance of engineering and robotics in shaping our future, women remain significantly underrepresented in these fields. This series aims to explore and address the barriers that discourage girls from pursuing careers in engineering and robotics. We are talking to educators, industry leaders, pioneering women engineers, and robotics experts who have made significant contributions to their fields, to discuss the strategies they believe can inspire and increase the participation of young girls in engineering and robotics. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Polly Smith.
Polly Smith is a Senior Program Manager at Code Ninjas. After earning her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Anthropology from UC Berkeley, Polly taught third grade as a Teach for America Corps Member in Chicago. She continued her journey in education teaching 3rd and 5th grade in Chicago and Los Angeles, earning a Masters of Arts in Elementary Education and Teaching and a National Board Certification in Middle Childhood. She then transitioned out of the classroom by supporting students and teachers as a coding teacher, professional development facilitator, and curriculum developer for 9 Dots, a Non-Profit organization bringing computer science to Title I Schools all over the Greater Los Angeles area. She joined Code Ninjas as a Curriculum Developer and has had the privilege of creating innovative coding, unplugged, and hands-on activities that teach kids how to code.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
Assomeone interested in how people behave, and how the environment and culture they live in affects the way they behave, I majored in Psychology and Anthropology. My career in education began after watching the documentary “Waiting for Superman” about education inequity. In 2011, I joined Teach for America and taught 3rd grade for two years in Chicago before moving back to LA to continue my education career in charter and public schools in South and East Los Angeles. While I was teaching 5th graders in Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), I attended a Code.org training as an optional professional development experience. I was fascinated that despite having no computer science background, and always assuming it was too hard for me, I found the concepts easy to learn and applicable to other subjects I was familiar with. From that, I started an afterschool coding club with my 5th grade students. Soon after, I was recruited to join 9 Dots, a non-profit bringing computer science (CS) education to the greater LA area. Prior to this role, I had only written lesson plans for myself, and this introduced me not only to more CS knowledge but also how to create instructional materials that can be implemented by people other than myself. I also learned to lead and facilitate professional development trainings and conduct user testing scenarios on products that I had helped to create. All of these skills came in very useful when I joined Code Ninjas, where I created lessons, training materials, and other resources that were implemented across an even larger audience of Instructors and students in centers across the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
My teammates and I dreamt up the current Code Ninjas IMPACT platform and curriculum during the pandemic. We started with a Padlet of big ideas, narrowed them down, and had hours of meetings around the path of the activities, the wireframe designs, and even the individual coding steps and instructor hints. The development of the platform was also met with quite a few challenges which delayed the release significantly. The inception of the idea to the release of our MVP (minimal viable product) was about 2.5 years, and when I finally walked into a Code Ninjas center where a group of kids were excitedly using this new, fun tool that we’d spent so long discussing, building, and improving, it filled me with an overwhelming sense of happiness and pride. The kids were coding, creating custom sprites in pixel art, and excitedly telling one another what they were working on. It was everything we dreamed of, and more.
What inspired you to pursue a career in engineering or robotics, and how can we replicate that inspiration for young girls?
My path to creating computer science education was not a linear one as I only happened upon learning to code after attending an optional professional development training. My motivation and work have been dedicated to make sure that this path is an option to young girls at much younger stages in their lives. I wish that as a child, I saw women coding as the norm, and the idea of using computer science to solve real world problems is something I hope all young girls are inspired and driven by.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
My former manager was an incredible inspiration in my career. Despite being a published author and being very well-connected in the computer science field, he was always kind, humble, and polite. He truly empowered me and encouraged me to believe in my own capabilities and expertise. He intentionally included and involved my teammates and I in the creation of our unique platform and curriculum, and as a result, I got a front row seat to see the entire process of building a new product. Additionally, he was an empathetic supporter who did not let my maternity leave negatively impact my career trajectory. He was compassionate and considerate of my frequent need to take flex time to care for my children when my second child was born. He and my teammates were supportive and encouraging of my involvement in projects despite my occasional inconsistent time availability.
Can you share a story of a challenge you faced as a woman in engineering or robotics and how you overcame it?
I realized early on that in many meetings I was the only woman and minority. I often felt imposter syndrome and would go through the normal polite phrasings to share my ideas and ask questions. However, the longer I’ve worked in the corporate world the more I’ve realized that as the sole representation with a very different background, my input and suggestions are in fact sometimes more important because it challenges assumptions made by a very homogenous group. I continue to work on believing in myself and being assertive.
Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
“Stuck in the Shallow End” by Jane Margolis gave me an insightful look at how the dynamics of inequality in American schools affect opportunities that historically underrepresented people have access to. The book uses the example of the racial gap in swimming, explains how slavery, segregation, and lack of resources led to minorities not being provided with the skills to swim safely in the deep end. This is also reflected in the world of computer science, where students attending different schools are left ‘stuck in the shallow end’ when they are not provided with the necessary tools to change the system.
Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life or your work?
“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.” — Mary Ann Radmacher
This quote keeps me on track to continue to create lessons and inspire, even if we don’t always get it right the first time.
How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
I am very proud of the fact that the activities and experiences I create are now being presented to kids throughout Code Ninjas centers across the country, not just a single classroom or school. Whenever possible, just as I was included in strategy and decision-making opportunities, I invite folks who have expertise to help us make the best possible content and strategy. Finally, perception is reality. I intentionally encourage featuring kids of diverse backgrounds in our creative content whenever possible so that the assets we put out to the world more closely reflect the world we are serving.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. According to this report, only about 16% of engineering positions in the US are held by women. This reflects great historical progress, but it also shows that more work still has to be done to empower women. In your opinion and experience what is currently holding back women from Engineering and Robotics?
Societal stereotypes and lack of representation is holding women back from pursuing careers in these fields. Until girls start seeing more representation in the field, they will not think of these careers as possible futures, it simply remains a locked door. Kids need to see mirrors, windows, and sliding glass door representations so they can see themselves reflected in a possible future, learn from someone who looks similar to them, and eventually step into the world they’ve learned about.
This might be intuitive to you but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should enter the Engineering and Robotics fields?
More women should enter Computer Science, Engineering, and Robotics fields because women bring unique perspectives and approaches to problem-solving. Just as universal design for learning makes lessons and activities more accessible to all types of learners, including women in these fields will lead to a broader range of talents and skills. Women bring their perspective and experience to the problem-solving table and increased representation can lead to more comprehensive and effective solutions.
Can you please share “5 Things We Need To Increase Girls’ Participation in Engineering and Robotics?”
1 . Early childhood exposure to Computer Science, Engineering, and Robotics. Provide girls with early exposure to computer science, as young as 4–5 years old. Give girls hands-on activities that introduce them to pattern recognition, sequencing code and building circuits is a great way to connect what they already know (following directions) with a new way to solve problems. At Code Ninjas, our JR program creates cohort spaces where kids can learn in a group of their peers and participate in STEM stations, play with bee-bot robots, and learn to code on ScratchJr.
2 . Promote role models and representation. Showcase successful women coders and engineers to young girls so they have an opportunity to see who they might learn from and someday become. Include books and stories that feature women computer scientists such as Grace Hopper, Katherine Johnson, Margaret Hamilton, and more. Highlight a wide array of possible future careers to inspire their interest.
3 . Create inclusive learning environments and design curriculum intentionally. Research shows that girls and other individuals from underrepresented groups tend to stay longer in a program when they feel a sense of belonging. This meant that if they had a cohort of similar peers, they felt a bond and connection with or if their instructor shared some aspect of their identity, they are more likely to feel comfortable to keep learning in an otherwise exclusive space. Curriculum should also be designed to appeal to a wide range of interests. Often, computer science projects and activities are limited to creating action packed video games or race- driven robotics. By using a more creative, open-ended project-based learning approach, girls and other individuals from underrepresented groups are more likely to use coding as a way to express their identity.
4. Increase access to opportunities. Expand access to opportunities for girls to explore and learn Computer Science, Engineering, and Robotics. This may look like creating scholarships or cohort experiences specifically for girls, led by women. This may also look like providing field trip opportunities to visit the headquarters of places such as Microsoft, Google, and NASA for girls to see that there are careers that are accessible to them.
5 . Address gender biases and stereotypes. Confront gender biases and stereotypes that discourage girls from pursuing Computer Science, Engineering, and Robotics. When selecting a keynote speaker, featuring a person in an article, or doing a photo/video shoot of coders or engineers, make intentional decisions to promote fairness, equity, and inclusion for all genders.
In your opinion, what are the most effective ways to introduce girls to engineering and robotics at an early age?
Give girls hands-on activities that introduce them to pattern recognition, sequencing code, building circuits, is a great way to connect what they already know (following directions) with a new way to solve problems. At Code Ninjas, our JR program creates cohort spaces where kids can learn in a group of their peers and participate in STEM stations, play with bee-bot robots, and learn to code on ScratchJr. We have coding activities that specifically tie in a child’s identity, and encourages story telling. These topics tend to appeal to girls and lead them to explore, tinker, and learn as they create their stories.
How do you think the portrayal of women in STEM fields by media and educational materials impacts girls’ interest in engineering and robotics?
I think the portrayal of women in STEM fields has the potential to impact girls’ interest in STEM in a positive way, but often times the people they portray seem like they are from the history books and are not relatable, or tend to be presented as very socially awkward and have other unspoken negative social connotations.
Along with introducing the original trailblazers, it would be amazing to showcase recent, more modern computer scientists in media, whether fictional or real, in all spectrums of personality, physical appearance, in order for girls to see themselves and relate to these individuals. There is no one way a woman in STEM might look, it is not a cookie-cutter role.
What advice would you give to girls who are interested in engineering and robotics but are hesitant to take the first step?
Anyone can learn to code! I did not learn how to code until I was a 26-year-old, in my fifth year of teaching. At its core, coding is about following and giving precise directions, which is a common skill that everyone has learned like math, how to tie their shoes, or following a recipe to cook something. Learning to code also builds problem solving skills that help a person recognize patterns, decompose the possible tasks that need to be done, and identify the most important information. Learning to code taught me that making mistakes is part of the learning experience and life.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
I would love to inspire a movement where people never stop trying or learning to do new things. I learned to code at age 26 and crochet at age 32. There is sometimes a huge pressure to find your own identity early in life, to find your passion and perhaps be listed on a 30 under 30 list. I’ve learned that my skills, interests, and identity continue to shift. Each time I try something outside of my comfort zone, new layers are added on, and new interests, skills, and hobbies continue to make me a more interesting and unique person.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
My LinkedIn is https://www.linkedin.com/in/polly-chen-smith/. I enjoy connecting with new people and learning from them!
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
