Although studies show that men hold a higher percentage of the jobs in the fields of technology and computer science in the U.S., at Hackley, the Upper School technology department is flourishing under the direction of instructors Anne Budlong and Melissa Brennan.

Ms. Budlong was first introduced to computing at Hackley in the 1980’s while teaching Logo programming to her second grade students. She feels that although women already play important roles in the fields of technology both at Hackley and in major corporations from AOL to Ebay to Google, she notices that there is an increased awareness of encouraging female students to enroll in technology classes at Hackley. “I think we try to create a welcoming environment and have different options available to appeal to students with different interests,” she said, “and I think we are doing a good job of drawing girls to our technology classes”.

Ms. Budlong feels it is important to keep all of her students interested in technology and computing and structures her classes to allow students to improve without being penalized for not mastering concepts immediately, and by trying to base her courses on student interest and trends. “I want to keep it fun and exciting and if a student doesn’t adhere to exactly what the assignment is, he or she can do it again,” Ms. Budlong said.

Aside from teaching, Ms. Budlong feels it is imperative to remain current in the ever-changing field of technology and brings what she learns back to her classroom. “I try to learn new programming languages and new ways of teaching programming to different age groups,” she said. “I am always searching for new ways of doing things.”

Ms. Brennan first became interested in technology while enrolled in computer electives in high school. In college, she noticed she was one of just three female students in her first computer science course and found it more difficult to interpret the concepts than her peers. But rather than switch majors, the school dean, not wanting to lose yet another female student, suggested she enroll in a less intensive programming major. She said, “I did not want to let go of a field that I knew I was passionate about from an early age because I hit a roadblock”.

Ms. Brennan, who remains passionate about the subject, sees more and more female students enrolling in Hackley computer courses, including AP Computer Science. She feels that it is important for girls to take a chance and try a technology course to see if it sparks any excitement. She said, “I’m a big believer of trying to answer as many ‘what if” questions in your life as possible.”