MEET THE TEAM
HALEY SANCHEZ
Hi, I'm Haley! I am the Founder and President of Girls Code Inc. I work to make sure that we can offer free and accessible resources for girls to learn how to code! I am very passionate about closing the gender gap in technology fields and computer science. The past 2 summers I have been an intern at Lockheed Martin and in the NASA SEES program doing software engineering (aka coding!). I have also worked at CodeNinjas, where I was able to share my love of coding with younger kids through teaching them Scratch and Javascript. Within my school, I am the captain of the VEX robotics competitive team and competitive programming team. I am also the president of my school's Science National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta (Math Honor Society), and the Society of Women Engineers clubs. Lastly, I am a 2020 National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT) Aspirations in Computing National Award recipient. I am very honored and grateful to have been given all the opportunities and experiences that I have had. I tell you all of this to show how passionate I am about this organization and everything it stands for.
RIA NAYAR
Hi, I'm Ria! I'm a Co-President of Girls Code Inc! We are working towards eliminating the gender gap and increasing gender equality for all. I have always loved STEM and was first exposed when I started a FIRST Lego League team in middle school, where I helped lead our programming and documentation efforts. I continued on to join a FIRST Robotics Competition team where I am currently our Vice President; in this role, I manage our technical documentation, award submissions, team media, and outreach efforts. Through this team, I have helped lead seven STEM-based summer camps over the past three years and have accumulated over 300 volunteer hours. Additionally, I am the President of my school's Society of Women Engineers chapter, where I create a safe space to empower and encourage girls. I am also really fortunate to be attending a STEM school with an engineering magnet. So far, I have taken coding classes covering JavaScript, python, Java, and C. The need to close the gender gap, increase equality, raise STEM awareness, and help our community are all things that motivate me every day. As a STEMinist, I am so excited to work with this organization and help inspire young girls!
CHANDINI PALEM
Hi, I’m Chandini. I contribute to curriculum design for Girls Code Inc. so girls get exposed to coding at an early age. I play a prominent role in Steinbrenner High school’s FBLA club, Science National Honors Society, and Robotics club. I also serve as the Vice President of a newly formed club, the Society of Women Engineers. As a female STEM enthusiast, I want to encourage girls to explore the STEM field.
ANAVIÂ NAYAK
Hi, I’m Anavi! I help design curriculum for Girls Code Inc. so that girls develop coding skills early in their lives. I’ve loved being part of women in STEM efforts in the last couple years by serving as Vice President of a school club teaching girls to code, and being Director of Programs for ProjectCSGIRLS, a nonprofit dedicated to serving middle school girls in science and technology.
ALISSA VANI
Hi, I'm Alissa. I design and use my creative skills to showcase and advertise what girls in STEM can do. I enjoy all kinds of art, music and science. I am Vice President in the choir program at Steinbrenner High School, Secretary of the BETA Club and am a member of both Tri-M and NHS. I am proud to use my artistic skills for Girls Code Inc.