In an education landscape awash in technology, what impact could something as analog as a coloring book make? Especially for youngsters diving headlong into computer programming with an organization like Black Girls Code.
The answer is — a lot more than you’d think, according to 22-year-old Nia Asemota. The New York University student is the creator behind “Black Girls Code the Future,” a 36-page coloring book highlighting the achievements of Black women in tech.
The idea came to Asemota, who is in her final semester as a biomolecular science major with a computer science minor, during the doldrums of pandemic lockdown isolation in 2020. Coming from a Puerto Rican and Nigerian background, the native New Yorker says there have been plenty of times where she’s felt like the odd woman out in a computer science class or has felt discouraged by advisers about her plans to pursue a career in tech.
EdSurge caught up with Asemota to talk about her unexpected path to computer science, and how becoming a mentor to other Black girl coders sparked her passion for representation in the sciences. The interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
EdSurge: Why did you decide to create a coloring book, of all things, about Black women in STEM?
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