Tuba City, Arizona — A small group of Tuba City students are getting an introduction to the in-demand career path of coding.

Trying to explain how coding works is not always easy. For a student just getting started with computer programming, explaining it to parents was pretty much the same.

“They have no idea what I’m doing,” said Shayla, a senior at Gray Hills Academy.

After I graduate, I would like to start studying to become a computer engineer. So did her classmate Daneya, who said, “It’s like a puzzle for me.”

The two young minds are taking a 16-week virtual coding course where they learn the nitty-gritty of writing the language that communicates with computers and determines the actions to take.

Renee Matthew helped organize classes to keep students focused on STEM during a pandemic when everyone was virtual.

“They collect a ton of data through summer school,” Matthew said.

She said students are looking to use the code for greater benefits for appointments, such as conducting water and soil analyses, to understand current wait times at medical facilities.

“Google may be headquartered in California, but that doesn’t mean you can’t work for Google in Tuba City,” says Jen Diehl of Northern Arizona University.

Beyond just getting started, Deal wants to teach students skills that lead to in-demand, high-paying careers.

“I actually show a lot of what LinkedIn does, from TikTok to the NFL,” Deal said.

Reliable and consistent internet connectivity at reserved sites has been a challenge for classes, but Deal said the first step to changing inequalities is to provide access, even for bite-sized pieces at a time. It is said that it is to

“I think STEM in general is very powerful because it’s like this opportunity to come together to tackle the problems of today’s world,” Deal said.

All these students need is a first impression.

“Now I’m really excited to see what my future holds,” Shayla said.