I am a software engineer at Google. I teach with Citizen Schools because, as a woman in a male-dominated field, I know personally just how important education is to empowering women and minorities to join the tech industry. I was lucky enough to have my first computer science class in 5th grade at my all-girls school, which meant that I knew what computer science was, and that I liked it, long before I knew it was a "guy" thing to do. That early exposure set me up for the career I have today, but too many students don't get the same opportunity. With Citizen Schools, I have taught several computer science apprenticeships (Pencil Code and Lego Robotics) to provide that exposure to computer science that was so influential for me.

This semester, however, I am trying something new. The longer I spend working in a male-dominated field, the more I value the support, mentorship, and connections I have received from my female friends and colleagues. So I signed up to teach "Girls in Charge," an all-girls product design class where the students design and prototype products to make women and girls safer, happier, or more successful.

Read the full article about "Girls In Charge" empowering the next generation of women leaders by Lucy Vasserman at Citizen Schools.