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Of the 1600 applications that were submitted to CodeNow, two of our amazing seniors at East-West, Jenny Cen and Angel Vargas, were selected to an incredible program where they had the opportunity to increase their technical computer skills, learn about coding, and even receive a free laptop to keep!

Jenny Cen was part of the first group of CodeNow graduates in NYC

Here is what Jenny has to say about the whole experience:

I first noticed the CodeNow.org program while walking through the hallways. The flyer was on one of the hallway’s doors and was quite interesting. The words “Hackety-Hack” made me think that I may learn how to hack so I decided to learn more about this program. Unfortunately, as I soon learned on the first day of class, Hackety-Hack had nothing to do with hacking. The free laptop (with charger) and a stipend of around $1500 for those who are accepted into the Summer Fellowship cemented my intention to apply to the program. The application process included an interview in Manhattan directly after school too, which made me nervous because it’s an interview. But I managed to get accepted in the end.

When I was accepted, I learned that I had to reply back within a certain time limit. Therefore, if you receive an acceptance email, reply back immediately. The 6-day lessons took place in Manhattan. In fact, it was where the interview took place. Each lesson is from around seven or eight o’clock in the morning to around three or four o'clock in the afternoon. So was it like an entire week of school for three weeks? Yes. Was it worth it? Of course it was. Well, I certainly thought so. Ignoring the whole free laptop aspect of the program, I also had a lot of fun while I was learning Ruby. I did have some homework, but the homework wasn’t too hard. It was just watch some videos and take a very short quiz afterwards. There was even a prize for the first one to complete the assignment.

This program was wonderful because we, the students, explored what exactly a programmer can do. We made simple games like choose your own adventure and rock-paper-scissors, a program that let us tweet without actually going on the website, and even a program that encrypted and decrypted messages. All of this is what a novice programmer can do, a programmer with simply 6 days of lessons. Now imagine what professional programmers can do. They create the websites and games we all know and love. The experience was made greater with all the friendly people I met, both fellow students and the teachers. Every week was a new assigned seat so you will definitely meet some new people. The teachers will also talk to you before class starts and after class ends and are more than happy to help you with your programming. The food was also brilliant. Every day was a different meal and it was always delicious.

If you ever have the chance to apply to this program, you should. It will open your eyes to the wonders of programming and computer science. If you enjoyed the Hour of Code, then you will definitely enjoy CodeNow. If you didn’t, apply anyways. CodeNow is way better than the Hour of Code.

Angel Vargas was part of the second group of CodeNow graduates in NYC

Stay posted for Angel's reflection of his experience at CodeNow.

In an effort to raise college and career awareness, Mrs. Katz and a few 11^th grade students visited the White Coffee Corp. which is located in Long Island City.

Mrs. Katz and her 11th grade advisory getting an exclusive tour of White Coffee Corp

They were greeted by Jonathan White, Executive VP of White Coffee Corp and an esteemed member of our East-West School Foundation.

Our students were excited to be afforded an opportunity to have an up close and personal tour with a leader in the coffee industry.

Mr. White explains the vacuum sealed technology in their packaging.

Students learn how coffee beans are analyzed and screened before they get processed.

They learned how White Coffee Corp imports coffee beans from countries outside the US while maintaining a high level of quality control and consistency, how they are able to manufacture and create their various signature blends, and the secret to their marketing strategies and how they continue to be innovative in a competitive industry.

Our students getting a demonstration on the practice of coffee cupping.

Most notably; they concluded the day with a traditional coffee cupping which is a ceremony where they were able to learn how to identify quality, analyze consistency and sample various rich flavors of coffee.

Jamila, shown here "breaking the crust" while inhaling the aromatics that drift up.

Our students were able to make real world connections using their knowledge of geography, science, math, careers, literacy and college majors; all subjects touched upon during their time here at East-West! It was a short experience that leads our students to think about the deeper connection between their classes at East-West and embarking on a long term career.

Click here to view more photos from this album.