Ladies Learning Code

Meet the Mentors of Ladies Learning Code’s First Ever Intro to Python Workshop!

I am so thrilled to introduce the Mentors for Ladies Learning Code’s first ever Introduction to Python workshop, happening this Saturday. We would like to thank each of them, for volunteering their time to share their knowledge and expertise with 90 lucky learners.

Lead Instructor: Juan Musleh (@juanmusleh | http://juanmusleh.net/)
Developer at Freshbooks

Juan is Toronto’s newest software developer by day and serial hobbyist by night. Continually pushing the limits of the word “active”, Juan blends experience building software from the ground up with a drive to try every single recreational activity in existence at least once.

Having spent multiple years organizing the Canadian University Software Engineering Conference (CUSEC), she’s now immersed herself in the Toronto software development community by co-organizing the most recent edition of TechTalksTO, and volunteering for Ladies Learning Code.

Juan’s relationship with Python began during her tenure at Evertz Microsystems, and it was love at first sight. Their relationship has continued to blossom through Juan’s move to FreshBooks in Toronto, where she sings its praises to whoever will listen. She hopes that the Python workshop will not only convince the attendees that Python is amazing, but also inspire them to spend their free time tinkering with programming languages and building neat applications.

Diana Clarke (@diana_clarke | http://pycon.ca)
Software Developer at Chango

What are you passionate about? “The Python Community.”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “To be a visible role model as an accomplished female developer.”

David Misshula (@davidmisshula)
WebSphere Commerce Consultant – Work with clients building and customizing their online stores at IBM

David is another returning mentor.
What are you passionate about? “The bridge that binds people to technology.”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “Being around people who want to learn is electrifying. It spawns creativity and build meaningful relationships. LLC has provided a platform for amazing things to come to life!”

Liam Kaufman (@liamkaufman | http://liamkaufman.com)
Self-employed Software Developer and creator of JavaScript and Ruby on Rails web applications.

Liam is returning to help us out again.

What are you passionate about?  “Solving interesting problems and building novel systems.”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code?  “It’s a great idea, and provides an opportunity to get more people involved in something I find interesting!”

Gavin Lobo (http://www.rabidgeek.net)
University of Ontario Institute of Technology, grad student, research assistant, tutorial instructor

What are you passionate about?  “Teaching, Science, Mathematics and Programming”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code?  “Coding is so much fun! More women should get involved!”

Vladimir Drizhepolov (@vovko | http://vovko.ca)
Web Developer

What are you passionate about?  “Technology and cycling.”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code?  “I enjoy teaching and sharing.”

Jonathan Hernandez (@jahndez | http://littleroom.ca)
Senior Web Developer at Littleroom Inc.

Another mentor that has helped out before a few times.

What are you passionate about?  “Videogames. Also learning new things, creating amazing applications that are simple to use.”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “I’ve been fortunate enough to work with a team of great people and learn a lot along the way from them. Ladies Learning Code is a great initiative that wants to do away with the preconceived notion that programming can be difficult to get into. It’d be great to be able to give back to the community and get more people introduced to some useful and very important tech.”

Alan Harnum (@waharnum)
Lead front-end developer for the library’s web site, along with lots of miscellaneous consulting on web-based services at Toronto Public Library

Alan helped out before at the last Javascript workshop.

What are you passionate about?  “Literacy and learning.”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “Encouraged by coworkers who’ve taken LLC courses. ”

Josh Sumali (@joshSumali)
Systems & Backend Developer at Kobo

What are you passionate about?  “ Work-wise? Scalable Systems and Big Data. Free-time-wise? e-Sports and StarCraft II ”
Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “I’ve been wanting to mentor for a while, but I’m more of a backend developer. Here’s my chance!”

Martine Vong (@spongypoiyo | http://coolsushi.com)
Responsible for the TinEye reverse image search engine and some of their APIs at Idée Inc.

What are you passionate about?  “ Clean and organized code! Python! Web development and gaming! ”
Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “I really like the idea of getting more women involved with coding, so I wanted to help out.”

Jen Ruttan (@jenruttan)
Software Engineer – developing and maintaining an electronic medical records system at Indivica

What are you passionate about?  “Learning new things, whether it’s related to my field or not. Anything that gets me inspired.”
Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “It’s beneficial to everybody when the tech industry as a whole welcomes more women to development or IT-related jobs, and LLC is a great “trojan horse” for getting women involved.”

Ash Christopher (@ashchristopher | www.newthink.net)
Senior Developer/Team Lead at Wave Accounting

What are you passionate about?  “Software design, architecture, product development.”
Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “ Want to give back to the development community. Make software development accessible to everyone. ”

Mike C. Fletcher (http://www.vrplumber.com)
Consultant, Software Architect, CEO at VRPlumber Consulting Inc.

What are you passionate about?  “ Building a better world ”
Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “ I want to help people learn ”

James Walker (@walkah | http://walkah.net)
Indie contractor

What are you passionate about?  “ tough to say – working with awesome people doing awesome things ”
Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “ Friends have both mentored and attended previous LLC events and say great things ”

Rick Innis (@rickinnis)
Inventing the future you didn’t know you wanted at Apple

What are you passionate about?  “Inventing the future you didn’t know you wanted ”
Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “ I think it’s important that anyone who uses a computer understands that they can control it. Also, I think learning to program is like a mind-expanding drug, and minds need to be expanded. ”

Joël Perras (@jperras | http://nerderati.com)
I work at Fictive Kin. We’re the people behind Teuxdeux, Gimmebar, the wildly amazing Brooklyn Beta conference (http://brooklynbeta.org/), and the newly announced Brooklyn Beta Summer Camp (http://brooklynbeta.org/summer-camp), a design-focused fund meant to help people make awesome things.

What are you passionate about?  “I love, love, love all things tech, especially when it comes to programming and system automation, and computer science in general. I’m continually astounded that I get paid to do what I love, and wake every morning excited to hack on awesome things with amazingly talented people.”
Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “ People talk a lot about the gender gap in the tech/startup world, but not many actually try to do something about it. I’m hoping that my small contribution of time and knowledge to Ladies Learning Code can have a positive impact. ”

Michael DiBernardo (mikedebo.ca)
Tech Principal and Talent Manager at RecruitMyFriends.com

What are you passionate about?  “Teaching, software development, writing, paying it forward”
Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “I love teaching and I think everyone should have basic compentency in CS. This is a great initiative!”

Miles Thibault (@milesthibault | matchmymom.com)
Founder at Match My Mom

What are you passionate about?  “Startups”
Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “Gender imbalance in tech”

Andrew Gardner (@plorry | andrewgardner.ca)
Django Developer – internal systems at G Adventures

What are you passionate about? “ honest human expression ”
Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “ love offering things that I know that I other people want to know ”

Kay Zhu (@kayzh | kayzhu.org)
Break things and fix them™ at Verso

What are you passionate about?  “Making things better, and film! ”
Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “ Helping others to learn is a big part of making things better. I’m very glad to have the opportunity to be part of it. ”

Yi Qing Sim (@yiqingsim | http://ysim.wordpress.com)
QA Tester – I try my very best to break @wolever‘s code. at Luminautics Inc

What are you passionate about?  “Music, Germanic languages, zombies, aliens, working hard at finding ways to be lazy.”
Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “I like Python and so should you.”

Ryan Albrecht (ryanalbrecht.ca)
I’m a web developer for FreshBooks. My typical responsibilities are to build new features for our users, squash any bugs that are discovered, and generally make the application better and easier every day! With an app as large and as well-loved as FreshBooks this means I need to use more than just one programming language to get the job done. In addition to Python we also use technologies like PHP, JavaScript, CSS and MySQL daily.

What are you passionate about?  “I will always be a life-long learner, and when I first discovered the computer, and the internet, and all the things out there to learn about I was hooked. I’m passionate about being able to create something useful or fun, and making it beautiful.”
Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “I decided to get involved with Ladies Learning Code after my girlfriend attended the first session. She was so excited and when she turned and said “”I loved the computer course I took in highschool, but no one told me I could go on and do this -for real-”" I knew I had to help.”

Greg Heo (@gregheo | http://gregheo.com)
Freelance software developer; tech partner at stealth startup Ferocious Apps

What are you passionate about?  “ “Technology, sustainability, and elegant solutions. And tea.” ”
Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “ I like code and I like teaching. LLC is a perfect fit! ”

Anna Revinskaya ( http://www.annalabs.com/)
Software Engineer at Algorithmics

What are you passionate about?  “ Programming, animations, puzzles ”
Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “ I remember how happy I was to see my first program run. I want to help others get inspired about coding as much as I did. ”

Adam Field (@adamfield)
Systems Administrator / Network Admin at FreshBooks

What are you passionate about?  “computers, hacking, linux, music, bikes, tattoos, good times and highfives.”
Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “supporting coworkers, supporting the tech industry, fighting the brogrammer image”

Craig Nagy (@nagyman | nagyman.com)
Senior Software Developer – Lead Developer at G Adventures

What are you passionate about?  “Code, Ultimate, Running, Reading ”
Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “LLC is an exciting project with nobel goals!”

David Wolever (@wolever | http://blog.codekills.net)
Lead developer at Luminautics Inc.

What are you passionate about?  “Python, software correctness, and motorcycles.”
Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “Because Laura voluntold me But, seriously: I like Python and I like teaching.”

Nox Dineen (@noxdineen | http://noxdineen.com/)
API/developer support at FreshBooks

What are you passionate about?  “Python, puppies, photography (things that start with the letter P)”
Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “It’s something I wish had existed when I started teaching myself to program, and I’m excited by the chance to see other people share the same joy I had when I got going.”

Andrew Stevens (@andrewstevens | andxyz.com)
Software Developer at Orbis Communications

What are you passionate about?  “UX, webframeworks”
Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “The energy and aura of learning environments are great for everyone involved. Volunteering and the act of attempting to explain something with clarity is a reward in and of itself, makes me think of “talking to the rubber duck”. Getting in touch with the co-founder Laura and other mentors are side motives too.”

Bartek Ciszkowski (@bartekci | http://bartek.im)
Software Developer at G Adventures

What are you passionate about?  “Beautiful code that scales well, reads great, and just leaves anyone looking at it happy Outside of tech: Bikes, trains, food.”
Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “It’s a great cause and really, a step in the right direction.”

Paul Bloore (tineye.com)
CTO and Co-Founder of TinEye

What are you passionate about?  “Searching images by looking inside them at their pixels and patterns.”
Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “ A friend recommended it and it sounded like fun. ”

Thank you to this fabulous group!

For more info about Ladies Learning Code, follow us on Twitter or check out our Facebook Page. If you’d like to join our email list, click here or to volunteer as a Mentor, join our developer email list

Announcing Two Mother-Daughter Workshops!

Tale of a Mentor by Cristina Graci

It was early January and I stumbled across a Facebook status update from Wes Bos, mentioning that he would be leading a WordPress workshop for Ladies Learning Code. It was the first I had ever heard of it, but I was really interested in attending because;
1) I hadn’t written any code for over a year and I was itching to get back into it.
2) I wanted to get my personal blog updated and actually start blogging more frequently.
3) Wes is super awesome (I mean, have you seen his Wedding website?!).

I asked Wes if he needed an assistant (move aside, Vanna White), and he let me know that Ladies Learning Code needed volunteers! I wasn’t sure my coding skills were quite up to par, but I decided to help out anyway. I spent a whole week prepping myself for this workshop, and I’m sure Wes can tell you how many panicked tweets I sent him asking for his slides, so I could make sure I wasn’t going to be the worst mentor on the planet.

I’ll admit, my nerves almost got the best of me the morning of the workshop. I’m typically a very introverted person, so I knew this was going to be a bit of a challenge. I sat down at a table of 4 women, eager to learn. At the end of the day I was not only surprised at how much they learned and accomplished – but more surprised at how much they taught me about myself. While they were learning how to hack WordPress, I was learning that I had a ton of knowledge I had taken for granted. I was so amazed at what the ladies had created in just one short day, something that took me years to figure out on my own!

Next came the Photoshop workshop. This one was a little less scary because by now there were a few familiar faces, and I felt a little bit more confident in my skills. Again, the ladies learned a TON of skills (Photoshop, InDesign AND Illustrator! WOW!) in one short day that took me years to learn.

That’s why I love Ladies Learning Code – you’re never alone. There’s always someone right by your side encouraging you, helping you and helping you do things you never thought you could possibly do. Not only do mentors get to meet people who are so appreciative of knowledge, we make new connections. People we wouldn’t ordinarily ever have a chance to talk to become pals. We all share a unique passion for learning about technology.

I’ve actually come to love the social aspect of the workshops, and away from them I find myself more open to doing things I never would have done in the past.

As much as I love the LLC workshops, nothing will ever top the experience of the Girls Learning Code Camp. I was only able to spend two days at camp, but it was incredibly inspiring. 40 girls, each one of them unique, come together with a common interest in learning about technology. It’s so great to be able to help these girls realize that technology is pretty darn cool, and you don’t have to be afraid to admit it. The girls soak in every bit of knowledge they possibly can. I can’t even count the amount of times I hear them say they didn’t want the week to end. Those two days didn’t just give me the opportunity to cultivate friendships, and ignite my passion for dancing like a maniac to Carly Rae Jepsen, but they gave me the opportunity to become a role model to young girls. Which is something every kid needs.

For me, being a mentor isn’t just about inspiring people to become passionate about technology. Every person I’ve met has inspired me to share my knowledge and to keep learning. I’ve learned that it’s okay to make mistakes, and that I don’t always have the answer.

If you’re interested in becoming a mentor, I encourage you to just do it. Seriously, stop thinking about it and volunteer. You may be giving up a day of your weekend, but the experience, inspiration and friendships you gain will more than make up for it. I promise.

Cristina Graci (@Cryssi996 | http://obsessivecompulsive.me)

Cristina is a project manager by day, and a compulsive creator by night! Ever since she was a little girl she’s been in love with technology and web development. At age 12 she started creating her own websites and graphics to participate in online horse RPG’s (and yes, you can giggle a little at that!). As a kid, Cristina attended a “website making” camp, and as you can see it made a huge impact on her life. She is very excited to have the opportunity to provide that same level of inspiration to the young girls at the Girls Learning Code camp. Cristina has been working full time in the interactive industry for 5 years now, and still has just as much passion as the day she started. She is currently pursuing a degree in Business Technology Management while working as a full time Project Manager at TPM Communications. In what little spare time she has left, you can find her painting her nails, building a website, or working on a DIY project.

Interview with our Photoshop Sponsor: Jenna Kellner from Myplanet Digital

This is an interview with the Lead, Marketing and Client Accounts at Myplanet Digital, our April 14th Photoshop workshop sponsor. Learn more about Jenna Kellner below, or check her out on Twitter at @jennakellner. You can also follow Myplanet at @myplanetdigital.

Jenna is a McGill Management alum with a major in Marketing and a minor in Communications. She worked at The Canadian Foundation for AIDS Reasearch for two years as their National Programs Manager where she managed all national campaigns and events, ran awareness and fundraising nationwide and supervised an awesome campaign team.

While still currently involved as a volunteer council member of the CANFAR Young Professional Council, Jenna left CANFAR in September to join Myplanet Digital as their Lead of Marketing and Client Accounts. She learned to speak geek and is now managing accounts, growing the brand and increasing their market share in the digital sphere.

Her expertise is in marketing, events, and business development. She is passionate about creative solutions, efficient execution, and giving back to her community.

1. When did you start working at Myplanet, and why?

I first saw the job posting on Twitter, and was interested in getting involved in a new industry. I came into the office for what turned into a SEVEN HOUR INTERVIEW. They even made me code! Note: This was before any Ladies Learning Code sessions had ever happened and it was definitely the most daunting part of the interview. But now (thanks to LLC), I’d totally kick that section in the butt. I knew that any company who would put me through a process like that would provide the kind of professional challenge I was looking for, so I was hooked.

2. What do you love about Myplanet?

From the very first day I was in the office, what stuck with me most was the vibe of the team there- creative, fun, and engaged.

Since then, our culture of innovation has continued to grow. If I come up with an idea that makes sense, we run with it. Everyone around here is motivated to fulfill our needs as a company and to find new opportunities to pursue. We essentially define our own jobs!

3. Myplanet has a very sassy website, “like a smart-ass kid in grade school”, tell us more about this approach.

Working with enterprise-scale clients doesn’t have to be stuffy- we let our personality shine through because we treat that uniqueness as an asset in business. With the site, we tried to capture the essence of who we are. Everyone knows that smart-ass kid.. the one who sits in the back row & constantly questions convention. We do that here. People push boundaries to find unique solutions and more effective ways of doing things.

4. Why did Myplanet sponsor Ladies Learning Code’s Intro to Photoshop workshop?

Myplanet has been an avid supporter of Ladies Learning Code since before I started working here. Enhancing technical knowledge & increasing the number of people who understand it provides countless opportunities for us all to innovate & collaborate. We support Ladies Learning Code as much as we can, and we try and get our developers and our designers to mentor as many sessions as possible. We chose to sponsor this particular session because Photoshop aligns really well with our vision of a well-designed world with great user experience.

5. What are your thoughts about the lack of women in the technology industry? What should we be doing about it?

It’s empowering to be around people who support women in tech, but the fact that I didn’t have any real exposure to it until last year is clear indication that there’s a serious gap.

I’m a big promoter of Ladies Learning Code and Girls Learning Code. I spoke recently to high school classes & students at McGill about the importance of getting involved in the tech industry- even if it’s not your primary interest . It’s an extremely valuable skill set to have and the job opportunities are endless. We need more women in tech to put an end to the stereotype that it’s a “men only” industry.

6. What excites you most about the future of technology?

I’m a serious efficiency nerd, so most technology that promotes efficiency, makes me smile.

7. Where is Myplanet headed in the future?

TO INFINITY AND BEYOND.

In the words of the sassy & awesome Ryley Kornelsen @ryleyk:
It seems like a joke, but, actually. Myplanet is like a freaky radioactive version of the energizer bunny that’s been bitten by a genetically altered spider. We’re just gonna keep growing and spreading the gospel, bring the business/tech/design trifecta all over the world and making user experiences better across ALL OF THE ENTERPRISES.

Thanks to Jenna and everyone at Myplanet for their support of Ladies Learning Code. We appreciate you!

Introduction to Photoshop: Meet your Mentors

I am excited to introduce the Mentors for Ladies Learning Code’s Introduction to Photoshop workshop, happening this Saturday. We would like to thank each of them, from the bottom of our hearts, for volunteering their precious time to share their knowledge and expertise with our 160 learners. This will be our largest workshop yet!

Our Mentors:

Ivonne Karamoy (@ivonnekn  | http://ivonnekaramoy.com)
Freelance Designer and Developer (art direction, graphic design, web/interactive/UI/UX design & development, illustration)

What are you passionate about?  “Creativity in any shape or form and collaborating with others.”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code?  “I want to help others realize the potential for technology to help you in your creative endeavors.”

Read about Ivonne’s past experience as a Mentor

Nadine Lessio (http://nadinelessio.com/)
Freelancer – Designing websites for mostly independent creatives

What are you passionate about? ”Cycling / Architecture / Travel”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “I wanted to give something back and help people get started.”

Winston Vitan Floro
Graphic Designer at Drake International

What are you passionate about?  “Communication Design.”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code?  “Felt I can contribute and help people learn.”

Laura Burk (www.lauraburk.daportfolio.com )
I’m currently a Graphic Designer at Endloop Mobile where I am responsible for branding, user interface design, digital illustration and much more.

What are you passionate about?  “The Neanderthal High-Pitched Voice Theory.”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? ”I love design, and love others who do. Helping people learn the tools to accomplish their goals is extremely rewarding to me. Plus, I got a bomb-diggety T-shirt last time.”

Danielle O’Hanley (@dohanley | http://www.danielleohanley.com)
I’m a content editor at RedFlagDeals.com, where I hunt for deals, write for our blog and help manage our Facebook and Twitter communities. Outside of the nine-to-five, I do some freelance graphic design.

What are you passionate about?  “Learning (and helping others learn!). I’m a strong believer in continually trying to improve yourself and your skills. I’m also passionate about writing, Toronto’s fascinating history and swimming.”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code?  “I took the Ruby and Mobile Development workshops and love the energy surrounding Ladies Learning Code. Helping out at the first Photoshop workshop was a fantastic experience, and I’m excited to be back for the second installation!”

Luuk van Baars (@LuukvanBaars | www.luukvanbaars.com)
Web Designer at cx interactive

What are you passionate about?  “Brand Identity & IU Design.”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code?  “LLC is awesome and I wanted to be a part of it and share my knowledge to help teach and inspire others.”

Hannah Hall (@doubleHdoubleH )
production work & graphic design at Rosetta

What are you passionate about?  “In terms of my field (graphic design) I am most passionate about print design, branding, symmetry/patterns, and black & white photography.”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code?  “I have taken two workshops (Intro to WordPress & Basic CSS/HTML) and I absolutely loved them – so I figure I could lend a hand where I have knowledge to share.”

Ricardo Vazquez (@rvazzquez | http://ricardovazquez.ca)
Web/Mobile Developer at MyPlanet Digital

What are you passionate about?  “I am most passionate about creating meaning in everything that I do. Whether it be interactive design or development, I have always strived to instill meaning in my work. The best part of being in this community is being able to create and contribute to emerging digital technologies. Now, how exciting is that!?”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code?  “I was a designer, then it all got too static. I was a developer, then it all got too abstract. I became both, and found perfect harmony. I want to help the tech community to recruit eager minds to find their own harmony in this field. Whether it be HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Ruby, or a CMS, I want to help individuals achieve goals they never thought possible in the past. Thanks to Ladies Learning Code, it now is.”

Alex Pokras(@thinkingline | http://thingkingline.com)
Freelance Graphic Designer

What are you passionate about? “Branding”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “Because its an amazing organization that brings fun and sense of community to the scary world of coding.”

Anne Thomas (@AlfalfaAnne | www.annethomasdesign.com)
Front-End Web Developer at Grip Limited

What are you passionate about? “UX Design / WordPress / Horses.”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “Love the idea / Love to help / Love to meet awesome people.”

Charlotte Tang (@charlottejtang | http://www.charlottetang.com)
Art Director at Expresso Agency. I come up with creative solutions and direction on projects.

What are you passionate about? “The art of marrying design and functionality.”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “I completely encourage people to step outside their comfort zone and learn something new and unrelated to their day-to-day work. I also believe that this is a great way to help change the general public’s perception of the design industry.”

Claudine Anet (@claudineanet | http://www.claudineanet.com)
I currently work as a freelance consultant and designer with two companies, one in the print industry and the other in the estate jewelry industry. I take care of social media, photography, e-commerce management and graphic design.

What are you passionate about? “Music, especially electronica!”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “I’ve attended a few workshops and I am really happy with the outcome.”

Damyan Petkov (@damyanmp | www.damyanpetkov.com | www.damyanphotography.com)
Software Developer/Photographer at Ryerson Digital Media Zone

What are you passionate about? “I have always been fascinated by beautiful designs and photography. That is why I try to apply beautiful and simple designs to any of my work, from developing an app to capturing a moment with my camera.”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “I decided to help out because I believe that there is an existing gap between software developers and other industries. There is a certain stigma associated with developers and I would like to change that.”

Gabriel O’Flaherty-Chan, Esq. (@_gabrieloc | http://gabrieloc.com)
Interface Designer at Jet Cooper

What are you passionate about? “Building useful stuff for iOS and mobile”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “Being able to step back and explain something from scratch can be a rewarding learning experience for both parties.”

Nick Hiotis (@nickhiotis | http://nickhiotis.com)
Interface Designer at Jet Cooper

What are you passionate about? “Design, Music, Branding.”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “LLC is a great organization doing really cool work. Glad to be a part of this!”

Trevor Henry (@trvrhnry | http://www.trevorhenry.ca)
Interface Designer at Jet Cooper

What are you passionate about? “Design, photography and bacon.”
Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “Teaching and passing on knowledge make me all fuzzy inside.”

Verne Ho (@verneho | www.jetcooper.com)
Co-Founder and Creative Director of Jet Cooper

What are you passionate about? “I’m most passionate about the process of creation. The idea of crafting something exceptional from absolutely nothing is incredibly exciting for me.”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “I’ve benefitted so much as an individual from the people and resources around me in the community, so I’m a strong believer in contributing back to the pool whenever I can.”

Isabel Preto (@isabelpreto )
Typesetter at Moveable

What are you passionate about? “Graphic Design, Typography, music”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “I need to learn to code, and the workshops are the easiest and least scary way to do it. Helping with the Photoshop workshop (something I already know about) is my way of giving back.”

Kate Grant (@kategrant | http://k88y.wordpress.com)
Tech help and video editing with AV Services at Seneca@York and Garage Studios.

What are you passionate about? “Design and intertwining it with code.”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “Such a great way to encourage young and old people that digital media arts is so much fun and that anyone can be involved in the learning process.”

Katy Li (@katy_li | http://www.katyli.com)
Working at Rogers Publishing.

What are you passionate about? “Travelling, photography, design, technology and learning.”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “I actually found out about Ladies Learning Code from a friend in Vancouver (who knew I had to go all the way to the West Coast to learn about this amazing organization in Toronto! ) LLC came up in the discussion of what we can do to encourage women in programming and at that very moment I knew I had to get involved. Especially having taught English in Japan, I understand how crucial knowledge is in the process of empowering people. With this amazing opportunity to combine my experience and passion, I cannot be more happier to support LLC.”

Lily Tse (@tigerlilytse | http://tiger.lilytse.com)
Interactive Art Director at Sid Lee. Design and conceptualize all interactive campaigns for our clients.

What are you passionate about? “travel, food, dogs, documentaries”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “LLC is an initiative that’s first in the city to empower women in tech. It’s meaningful and it’s something I could contribute.”

Marie-Eve Belanger (@wrongposture | http://www.marieevebelanger.com)By day, I am a Design and Research Coordinator for the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto. By night (and sometimes day), I’m a freelance art director and visual designer creating clean & strong identities on multiple platforms, for awesome organisations, from startups to established companies.

What are you passionate about? “I’m all about good design, clean typography, qualitative research & ethnography, people, DIY & the maker movement, collaboration, running, good food, good wine, good craft beer & silly cat pictures.”
Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning C
ode? “I attended one of the first workshops on Javascript, fell in love with the people & the concept and wanted to give back to this pretty rad community. I also love meeting new people, and want to share one of my passions while helping out!”

Matt Compeau (@MattCompeau | http://emergentforms.com)
Design Consulting and Architecture

What are you passionate about? “The way culture is being transformed by disruptive technologies like the internet and how the virtual world is shaping physical space.”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “I want to help empower people to shape their world by teaching them about the tools new technology provides.”

Phouphet (@phouphet | http://www.phouphet.com)
User experience designer at Intuit

What are you passionate about? “Creating designs that have user impact.”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “Designers have a place in the developer world.”

Pushpa Issac (http://www.hellopush.com)
Sr. Art Director at Espresso Agency where I am responsible for art direction, design and leadership of a creative team. I develop an overall visual concept that speaks to specific target audiences. This involves translating a concept into moods and imagery with a team of designers and copyrighters.

What are you passionate about? “Typography, Graphic Novels, Food (not necessarily in that order, sometimes at the same time!)”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “Would love to use my experience and knowledge to help others.”

Sacha Sayan (@sachasayan | http://sachasayan.com)
Interactive Designer/Developer designing and developing websites and ads for agencies.

What are you passionate about? “UX and UI. I think we need to interact better with technology, and there’s a huge cultural shift towards that right now.”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “I work in a segment of an industry that lacks diversity. I’d like to fix that.”

Saman Alvi (@err_sage | http://www.systemerrorcs.wordpress.com)
Android Software Developer at EnvisionMobile.

What are you passionate about? “Clean code”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “It’s a great organization doing fabulous work.”

Shelley Williams (@flaskalicious)
Jr Graphic Designer with 12thirteen Design

What are you passionate about? “Attaining the exact balance between form and function, Canadian music, and trashy British television ”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “To get involved with the community, contribute with the skill I have.”

Tiffany Shand (@TASDesigns)
As a Web Producer at Sweetspot.ca, my job consists of developing gallery and article-type page layouts, developing client-side widgets, manipulating images for the web, and producing digital content.

What are you passionate about? “Designing and developing websites.”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “It inspires me to see other ladies who also enjoy coding and desiging. I see this as a great way to come together with people of similar interests to share and collarborate ideas with.”

Ty Flanagan (@tyronflanagan | http://www.behance.net/tyflanagan)
I’m a Visual Designer at Mozilla working on everything related to Firefox.

What are you passionate about? “Anything techy and design related. Im a nerd at heart.”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “Its an opportunity to share my love.”

Veronica Wong (@supervee | http://www.veronicawong.ca)
Production Designer at TAXI

What are you passionate about? “Trying to find the best relationship between form and function to create the best user experience possible.”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “There will always be new things to learn and experience and I love the idea of a community of women coming together to pass on knowledge. Plus, I think taking the time to teach others is a great way to re-introduce myself to the basics that have simply become second nature. Being able to explain why we do things is just as important as the end result.”

Alana Lai
Camera operator at Woodbine Entertainment Group.

What are you passionate about? “Photography”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “I teach Photoshop and InDesign part-time at George Brown College.”

Andrew Semuschak (@andychak | http://www.andychak.com)
Interactive Design Specialist at Myplanet Digital

What are you passionate about? “Blueberry ricotta pancakes. The web. Movies from the 50′s. In that order.”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “To support the pursuit of a more beautiful web.”

Citla Lara (@Citla_Lara | http://citla-lara.com)
I am a graphic designer originally from Mexico City, I have worked on print projects mostly and have experience in some web design too, I am now based in Toronto and currently freelancing. I am working on improving my coding and looking forward to get more involved in interactive projects and become an expert in mobile.

What are you passionate about? “Knowledge in general ticks my fancy. I love learning just about everything, a new language, how to cook a new dish, the latest on teletransportation, you name it! I also enjoy helping people and sharing my knowledge. It is so fulfilling when someone tells you how good they became at something you helped them learn and how much they enjoy it now.”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “Last December I was so excited to find out about all the good things Ladies Learning Code were doing for all us women. As a girl, I experienced first hand how most courses regarding ‘techy’ subjects were always full with guys making me feel totally out of place and not really ‘welcomed’, so after attending my first workshop with you guys and learning help is always welcomed I knew I wanted to be part of this community, I am always happy to share my knowledge and expertise and the Photoshop workshop is close to the perfect opportunity to do so.”

Bi Ying Miao (http://www.bmiao.com)
Junior Architect for Levitt Goodman Architects

What are you passionate about? “The point of intersection between traditional handcraft and computational fabrication”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “LLC is shining a light on the surging female democrafic in the digital age, opening new market niches and opportunities.”

JeJun Lee (@jejunlee | http://www.jejunlee.com)
Designer at Bnotions

What are you passionate about? “Mostly anything that involves creativity. Now my eyes are on web and mobile designs.”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “Learning never stops. After suggested by a co-worker, I thought it was a great opportunity to expand my skills and at same time help others.”

Ilia Larionov (@ilialarionov | http://ilialarionov.com)
UX Designer at Jet Cooper

What are you passionate about? “Creative process, desing + functionality, interactivity, typography, food.”

Why did you get involved with Ladies Learning Code? “To share the knowledge. Good opportunity to meet new people and learn how to teach/mentor. To have some fun.”

Our Lead Instructors:

Ryan Bannon
Founding Partner & Creative Director at Playground | @rdbannon
(This is Ryan’s second time leading a Ladies Learning Code workshop)

A perpetual student of the world and graduate of the Creative Advertising program at Seneca College. In September of 2009 Ryan helped co-found Playground Inc. a user-experience design agency in the heart of Toronto. Day to day he works with web startups to help align their user-experience with business goals. In his short career Ryan has been lead designer on many innovative projects. One such project, Toronto Standard, won the Canadian Online Publishing Award for design of the year and was shortlisted by .Net Magazine(@netmag) for site of the year.  His involvement with Ladies Learning Code comes from a passion for the magic of hands-on practical learning and the drive for Toronto to be one of the best places in the world to make the web. If you have any questions or just want to say hi, you can reach him at ryan[at]playgroundinc.com or@rdbannon on Twitter.

Angelica Ramos
Senior Art Director at Hypenotic | @angelykke
(This is Angelica’s second time leading a Ladies Learning Code workshop)

Angelica is a graphic designer originally from Mexico City. In 2009, she came to Canada for a postgraduate degree program at the Institute without Boundaries at George Brown College. When she finished the program, she was hired by the Institute as a part-time designer and facilitator. Next, Angelica joined Hypenotic, a communication firm that serves values-driven clients and specializes in meaningful marketing, where she works as an Art Director. Angelica loves a challenge – last year, as a personal project, she decided to design an album cover for a new song every day for a hundred days. This year, her project involves creating a design each day in an attempt to graphically communicate (and hopefully understand) winter in Toronto.  Now, she is thrilled to accept a brand new challenge: being one of the designers leading the first Illustrator/Photoshop workshop for Ladies Learning Code. You can find her design series on her tumblr: http://angelykke.tumblr.com/, follow her on Twitter at @angelykke, or see her portfolio at www.angelica-ramos.com.

Erin Morris
Visual Designer at FreshBooks | @erinmorris

A talented designer, Erin has a reputation for creating colourful, compelling designs that are unique and engaging. A graduate of the University of Toronto in Art History, Erin has been applying her vision to all things creative at Freshbooks since 2010 as their in-house Visual Designer. She hails from the shiny world of publishing and now creates beautiful work that melt hearts and minds. Not only that, Erin is the reigning FIPLE winner (Freshbooks International Pot Luck Extravaganza) for her signature Ice Cream Cake and led the FreshBooks Grilled Cheese Fundraiser. Passionate about how art and design intertwine in our everyday lives, Erin’s design philosophy focuses on that which is simple, functional, and beautiful. Having participated in other Ladies Learning Code events as a learner and mentor, Erin is thrilled to have the opportunity to pay-it-forward as an instructor sharing her Design experience with other eager visionaries.

Chris Appleton
Graphic Designer at Mozilla Foundation | @chris_appleton

Chris Appleton is a graphic designer working with the Mozilla Foundation on projects empowering a generation of webmakers to imagine, communicate and build things together. Prior to this, he worked with Jet Cooper, designing user experiences for products on the web; and The Movement, designing strategy, branding and communication platforms. His involvement in Ladies Learning Code stems from a belief in the power of peer-to-peer education, and the strength of design-based learning.

 

What a fabulous group of Mentors.

For more info about Ladies Learning Code, follow us on Twitter or check out our Facebook Page. If you’d like to join our email list, click here or to volunteer as a Mentor, join our developer email list

Ladies Learning Code on CBC’s The National

Intro to Photoshop: Your Lead Instructors

We’re getting very excited for this weekend’s Introduction to Photoshop workshop at the George Brown Game Design Centre. The workshop is sold out, and it looks like a great group of people will be attending – we can’t wait to see everyone! For now, though, we want to take a moment to introduce the four talented designers who will be leading this weekend’s Ladies Learning Code workshop. These folks are volunteers, and they’re giving up their Saturday (plus lots of prep time) to make this workshop possible – Ryan, Angelica, Erin and Chris…thank you!

Ryan Bannon
Founding Partner & Creative Director at Playground | @rdbannon
(This is Ryan’s second time leading a Ladies Learning Code workshop)

A perpetual student of the world and graduate of the Creative Advertising program at Seneca College. In September of 2009 Ryan helped co-found Playground Inc. a user-experience design agency in the heart of Toronto. Day to day he works with web startups to help align their user-experience with business goals. In his short career Ryan has been lead designer on many innovative projects. One such project, Toronto Standard, won the Canadian Online Publishing Award for design of the year and was shortlisted by .Net Magazine(@netmag) for site of the year.  His involvement with Ladies Learning Code comes from a passion for the magic of hands-on practical learning and the drive for Toronto to be one of the best places in the world to make the web. If you have any questions or just want to say hi, you can reach him at ryan[at]playgroundinc.com or@rdbannon on Twitter.

Angelica Ramos
Senior Art Director at Hypenotic | @angelykke
(This is Angelica’s second time leading a Ladies Learning Code workshop)

Angelica is a graphic designer originally from Mexico City. In 2009, she came to Canada for a postgraduate degree program at the Institute without Boundaries at George Brown College. When she finished the program, she was hired by the Institute as a part-time designer and facilitator. Next, Angelica joined Hypenotic, a communication firm that serves values-driven clients and specializes in meaningful marketing, where she works as an Art Director. Angelica loves a challenge – last year, as a personal project, she decided to design an album cover for a new song every day for a hundred days. This year, her project involves creating a design each day in an attempt to graphically communicate (and hopefully understand) winter in Toronto.  Now, she is thrilled to accept a brand new challenge: being one of the designers leading the first Illustrator/Photoshop workshop for Ladies Learning Code. You can find her design series on her tumblr: http://angelykke.tumblr.com/, follow her on Twitter at @angelykke, or see her portfolio at www.angelica-ramos.com.

Erin Morris
Visual Designer at FreshBooks | @erinmorris

A talented designer, Erin has a reputation for creating colourful, compelling designs that are unique and engaging. A graduate of the University of Toronto in Art History, Erin has been applying her vision to all things creative at Freshbooks since 2010 as their in-house Visual Designer. She hails from the shiny world of publishing and now creates beautiful work that melt hearts and minds. Not only that, Erin is the reigning FIPLE winner (Freshbooks International Pot Luck Extravaganza) for her signature Ice Cream Cake and led the FreshBooks Grilled Cheese Fundraiser. Passionate about how art and design intertwine in our everyday lives, Erin’s design philosophy focuses on that which is simple, functional, and beautiful. Having participated in other Ladies Learning Code events as a learner and mentor, Erin is thrilled to have the opportunity to pay-it-forward as an instructor sharing her Design experience with other eager visionaries.

Chris Appleton
Graphic Designer at Mozilla Foundation | @chris_appleton

Chris Appleton is a graphic designer working with the Mozilla Foundation on projects empowering a generation of webmakers to imagine, communicate and build things together. Prior to this, he worked with Jet Cooper, designing user experiences for products on the web; and The Movement, designing strategy, branding and communication platforms. His involvement in Ladies Learning Code stems from a belief in the power of peer-to-peer education, and the strength of design-based learning.

 

We’re so grateful that Ryan, Angelica, Erin and Chris will be joining us this weekend! It’s going to be a great day. To join the waiting list for the April 14th “Intro to Photoshop” workshop, please click here.

Tale of a Mentor: by Ruhee Dewji

Ladies Learning Code: JavaScript
Posted on March 28, 2012 on Ruhee on Rails

A couple of weekends ago I helped out at Ladies Learning Code‘s Intro to JavaScript workshop. I was a ‘mentor’, one of the large group of devs who volunteered to hang out with some eager learners all day and help them decipher programming in JavaScript. It was pretty awesome, and I can say with absolute confidence that I’ve never felt better about being a programmer than I did (and do) after that workshop.

The previous weeks had been completely insane at work and we were on deadlines that were sometimes physically painful to think about. I had lost an entire day of productivity (one I couldn’t afford to have lost) to trying to decipher an OO JavaScript framework another coworker had built, one that was full of gigantic nested object literals and confusing (for me) references, and I felt pretty terrible about my skills at that point. I strongly considered cancelling on the workshop at least five times and only barely managed to convince myself the night before that it would be fine.

It was, of course, fine.

That’s us before any of the participants got there–just organizers and mentors (note: all photos thanks to the fantastic Peter Newhook!). Yeah, there were a bucketload of us giving up a Sunday to show up at CSI Annex and talk code all day. At this point I was still mildly terrified that I would just somehow forget everything I knew about JavaScript (the thing I do for a living, all day, every day). I sometimes wonder how I don’t explode in a ball of worry.

And there’s everyone (photograph by Breanna Hughes)! I know. So much enthusiasm.

Pearl Chen and Christina Truong led us through a pile of beginner JavaScript and covered a surprising amount of ground in one day, including really great explanations of objects, some jQuery, and some fun demos. After the first exercise I finally relaxed a bit and remembered that yeah, I’m okay at this stuff. Go figure.

There’s nothing like helping someone work out the kinks in their understanding of something and watching them experience a huge epiphany. It’s ridiculously rewarding, and I got to do it for not one but four great ladies!

(Check out my almost-six-year-old Dell in the foreground. Keep on truckin’, old buddy.)

Pauline, Emma, Laura, Shetu–thanks for sticking with it and being so damn excited about learning new stuff. You guys made it one of the best times I’ve had in a while, and reminded me why I love writing code all day–we make cool stuff happen. And thanks to Ladies Learning Code for doing something amazing: making people excited to learn code, excited to say they’re learning code, excited to hang out with other people who do too. It’s a great community. I’m glad to be a part of it.

(Side note: Shetu, the lovely learner on the far right in that photo, actually interviewed me for this Globe & Mail feature after the Ruby workshop last fall! SMALL WORLD.)

Ruhee Dewji is a New Media developer at InViVo Communications in Toronto and writes interactive HTML5 applications for iPad. When she’s not writing code, she’s a musician, playing with a handful of bands around the city.