# Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program The Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program is a free, two-week intensive coding and career exploration experience designed specifically for high school girls and nonbinary students. Hosted at partner companies including Google, Twitter (now X), Amazon, Adobe, and dozens of universities and nonprofits across the United States, the program combines hands-on coding instruction with mentorship from professional women in tech. ## Mission and Impact Girls Who Code was founded in 2012 with a mission to close the gender gap in technology. Since then, the organization has reached more than 500,000 students across all 50 states. The Summer Immersion Program is their flagship experience—an intensive, in-person (with some virtual options) immersion into what a career in computer science actually looks like. Alumni of the Summer Immersion Program are 15 times more likely to major in computer science than the national average for women. Many go on to study CS at MIT, Carnegie Mellon, UC Berkeley, and Georgia Tech, and to work at companies like Apple, Microsoft, and Meta. ## What You'll Learn The curriculum is structured around real-world project work and spans: **Week 1: Foundations** - HTML, CSS, and JavaScript basics - Python programming fundamentals - Introduction to robotics (working with hardware) - Cybersecurity awareness and digital ethics **Week 2: Applied Projects** - Full web application development from concept to deployment - Using APIs and databases - Presenting your project to a real audience of tech professionals - Career panels with women engineers, product managers, and founders By the end of the two weeks, you'll have built a working app or website—and you'll present it to a room full of industry professionals who can offer feedback and connections. ## Program Environment Classes are held at host company offices or on university campuses, giving participants a direct look at what working in tech feels like. You'll spend time in real engineering offices, attend workshops in conference rooms, and share lunch with professional women in STEM. The program deliberately creates a female-centered space where asking questions, making mistakes, and experimenting is celebrated—not judged. Participants consistently describe it as one of the most empowering experiences of their high school years. ## Who Is Eligible? The Summer Immersion Program is open to: - Students who identify as girls or nonbinary - Current high school students (rising 10th–12th graders) at the time of the program - Students with **no prior coding experience required**—beginners are actively welcomed The program is **completely free** and includes all materials. Need-based travel stipends are sometimes available. ## Timeline Applications open in **January** each year and close by **March**. Host site locations are announced alongside the application, so you can select programs near you or in cities you'd like to visit. Program sessions typically run in **June and July**. ## After the Program Girls Who Code alumni gain automatic access to the GWC Alumni Network—a community of over 85,000 young women in tech who share job postings, college advice, and mentorship. Many alumni go on to participate in GWC Clubs during the school year, or return as near-peer mentors the following summer. For college applications, completing the Girls Who Code SIP signals genuine commitment to computer science, especially for students from underrepresented backgrounds. Admissions readers at top CS programs recognize and value this experience. If you're even slightly curious about technology—whether you want to be an engineer, a product manager, a designer, or an entrepreneur—the Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program is one of the best free investments of two weeks you can make in your future.