August 26, 2024
Windstream wants to make a positive difference in the world, and the entire Windstream team and corporate leadership dedicate time and energy to volunteering and philanthropy as one way to give back to the community. The communications and software company provides an enhanced fiber network to consumers and businesses primarily in rural areas in 18 states, and they start their efforts locally.
One example is the Windstream Girls CODE Program, intended to help prepare the next generation of innovators in pursuing their dreams. Girls CODE, a week-long residential camp at the University of Arkansas in Little Rock, is intended to motivate academically prepared girls to enter the fields of computer science, information science or web design.
Students stay in on-campus housing to get a taste of collegiate life – and to help prepare them for future careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields.
Attendees are eager to learn and happy for the opportunity. “I wanted to go to the camp because it’s got coding, and I am quite interested in coding,” said one student. “Eventually I want to go into medicine or engineering, definitely something in STEM.”
The seminar targets girls in the summer before they head to eighth or ninth grade. They receive hands-on instruction and attend seminars to hear women in STEM talk about the opportunities available in computer and information science.
“I wanted to thank everyone who was here and helped me,” said another student. “They got me out of my comfort zone, and I learned a lot.”