Gaia Stella, 17, is currently in her fourth year at the Liceo Pentasuglia in Matera (Basilicata). She decided to participate in Coding Girls because she likes teamwork and the message of strength and inspiration that it transmits. It’s an important resource, especially during a pandemic.
Here is her interview with Alberta Testa [@Alberta_FMD], who has recently started heading the Fondazione Mondo Digitale Press Office.
What are your plans for the future?
I still don’t know what I want to do when “I grow up.” I like a lot of things and I still have not understood what is best for me. I work hard on a lot of things, so that I will have a greater range of choices in the future. It’s the same principle that helped me choose my lyceum. I decided that after scientific studies, I could have chosen to work either in humanities or in science.
What do you depend on to make important choices, like your professional future?
I have always had my family’s support, and it’s fantastic. Both my mother and father are always there for me. And I wa also lucky to have great professors and classmates. Maybe this is one of the reason’s I love going to school and studying! Perhaps, I’m strange, but I’ve always liked studying …
What drove you to participate in Coding Girls?
I immediately thought that Coding Girls could be an interesting experience. Not just because coding was something new, but also because I believed it would enrich me as a person. The message that the promoters transmit is inspirational. And although I have never experienced an episode related to gender issues, I am aware that it could happen. The very existence of projects promoting equality in STEM between men and women demonstrates that differences exist. The message is very powerful, and I hope to be able to share it with other friends in the future.
Does it scare you that you will have to enter a working world that still has strong gender inequalities?
No, this doesn’t scare me. I believe in myself, and this is the right attitude. One has to set off believing in their abilities. Fear is just a weight that keeps us back, leaving us at a disadvantage.
Are you excited about working on a project with other classmates?
Yes, very. It’s three girls and a boy. I love working in teams and projects like Coding Girls allow us to overcome distance-learning barriers. I love being with others. I hate being on my own. And this made the pandemic very hard for me, especially as I knew that I was losing many opportunities. And at my age opportunities are fundamental! I hope we overcome this situation soon!
