Before the pandemic, Kate Nichols was an elementary school teacher in Austin, Texas. But she wanted to explore a more sustainable career with higher pay and greater flexibility — maybe even something in tech. As she considered taking that leap of faith, however, Nichols was overcome by something far too many women experience in the male-dominated world of tech: self-doubt. 

“I was worried I wasn’t smart enough, or that I was making a mistake by leaving teaching,” said Nichols, now a curriculum manager at Hello World CS, which provides curricula and a learning platform for K-12 computer science courses. “But Ada quickly pushed those doubts aside.”

“Ada” is Ada Developers Academy, a Cognizant Foundation grantee partner and immersive, collaborative coding school focused on serving women and gender diverse people. When she learned about the free tuition, microloan support to cover living expenses, and paid internship, Nichols briefly wondered if the academy was too good to be true. She soon realized that the opportunity was too good to pass by, and began the program in January 2020.

Because her father had died a month earlier, the cloud of grief that hung over her made learning difficult. Nichols says she initially was reluctant to ask her instructors at Ada for help. As an elementary school teacher, she had learned to be resilient, to keep going despite the circumstances, to keep pushing past her limits — all of which made her reluctant to accept help.

But at Ada, Nichols discovered that asking for help is integral to the program’s learning and growing process. When reflecting on the most memorable part of her experience at Ada, she described the people she learned from, as well as those she learned alongside.

“Being in a classroom with so many phenomenal, brilliant, driven people was such a powerful and humbling experience,” she said. “Not only did Ada accelerate my knowledge of computer science in a massive way, it also allowed me to view computer science through an equity and inclusion lens that is so pertinent when working in this field.”

In addition to providing a welcoming environment, Ada helped Nichols build on her love for computer science.She says the rigor of the program, coupled with the incredible support system provided, ultimately set her up for success in her career.At Hello World CS, she combines her previous experience in education with her passion for equity and inclusivity in the computer science space.   

She works with her team to build and design curriculum for traditionally marginalized K-12 students who may have never had access to computer science content previously.Nichols hopes to one day become a leader and advocate for expanding access to culturally relevant and accessible computer science programs in K-12 classrooms. She also aims to be a better ally for BIPOC people in the computer science space.

So what would she say to those considering the Ada program?

“Go for it. Don’t be afraid to try, and don’t give up if you really want it.”