What’s this company that you guys have started?
The name of our company is “Kids Who Code.” We started it in September of last year. It’s a non-profit organization that teaches little kids how to code.

Who do you cater too?
We hold workshops for elementary and middle school kids in order to teach them about the field of computer science and coding.

How did you start it up/what inspired it?
Two summers ago, we both had the amazing opportunity to participate in the “Girls Who Code” summer immersion program. It was a national program that was seven weeks long, and there, we both learned how to code. After the program was over, we wanted to spread our knowledge of coding. We also realized that many young kids didn’t know what coding even was, or how it could help the world. That was when we decided to start the company.

Do you plan on expanding the company?
So far, we have held about 10 workshops in the Naperville/Aurora area alone. We have also held workshops in India. In order to grow the company we would like to hold more workshops. For the future, we would like to hold workshops in other areas as well. So right now, we teach kids the basics of coding, but in the future, we would like to teach more complicated topics.

Does this have anything to do with what you want to do for your career?
Savni: Yes, I would like to major in computer engineering, which is very similar to computer science.

Saloni: After college, I would like to work in the field of robotics. I want to be able to build and program robots. I want to major in mechanical engineering and minor in computer science.

What is it like working with your sister?
Saloni: My sister is my best friend, so I love working with her. We work really well together, and we always support each other. There hasn’t been a single workshop that either of us have conducted alone.

Savni: It’s a pleasure for me to work with my sister, we bring out the best in each other and challenge each other to do better. These workshops have been successful because of our teamwork.

What other hobbies do you guys have around the school or outside of the school?
Outside of school, we participate in a program called NIU-EEP. This program is lead by an electrical engineering professor at Northern Illinois University. In NIU-EEP, we do different engineering activities. We have been a part of this program for the last five years, and as of two years ago, we became mentors in the program. As mentors, we help little girls understand what engineering is really about. Inside of school, we were both chosen by our AP Calculus teacher to participate in an autonomous vehicle challenge held by Rose-Hulman Institute. This is a robotics competition where we build a car and program it to race around an obstacle course.

What kind of impact are you hoping to make with your company?
With our company, we hope to teach as many kids as we can about coding and computer science. We hope that after the kids attend our workshops, they are interested in computer science and want to learn more about it. With this company, we want to increase awareness and interest in the field for STEM.