Emerging Coders is Building a Peer Community
Launched in 2022, Emerging Coders is dedicated to supporting undergraduate students in tech-related fields who identify as first-generation and/or lower-income
Northwestern Engineering’s Emran Majidy, a fourth-year student in computer science, had never taken a programming class before joining the University in 2020.
“Once I started taking the courses, I realized computer science was my calling, but I quickly found that some of my peers had taken classes back in high school and middle school,” Majidy said. “This made me feel like I might be at a disadvantage.”
Resolved by the spring quarter his first year to pursue computer science, Majidy sought student groups that could help him supplement his learning and build a support network.
“I didn’t find an attachment with a community,” Majidy said. “So I thought, I can create my own club to help others in my position.”
In fall 2022, Majidy and the founding executive board launched Emerging Coders. The organization is dedicated to supporting undergraduate students who identify as first-generation and/or lower-income by fostering a peer community and assisting students in accelerating their academic and professional goals in technology-related fields.
Emerging Coders helps students develop their skillsets, offers professional development opportunities, and creates a positive social environment for members to learn from and lean on one another.
“Through Emerging Coders, I found some of my greatest friends,” said Safiya Menk, the group’s current president and founding treasurer. “I found community in this group — people who are similar to me with similar interests who I could connect with and go to for anything.”
Menk, a fourth-year student pursuing a combined bachelor's and master's degree in computer science, is proud of the vibrant activity on Emerging Coders’ GroupMe chat. Members seek advice, share course and academic pathway recommendations, and lead discussions.
Group activities include quarterly “Emerged Coder” events in which Northwestern alumni share their stories and provide insight on their post-grad experience. Last month, Andy Moran (‘22), an associate product manager at Google, discussed how he is driving innovation in Pixel hardware and the Wear OS wearables operating system.
Emerging Coders also hosts representatives from companies such as Adobe and Duolingo for “day in the life” snapshots of different career pathways or information sessions on specific topics. In October, representatives from Google led a workshop on preparing for technical interviews.
In addition, Emerging Coders organizes regular internship and research panel discussions, group study sessions, guided coding tutorials, a mentor-mentee program for ongoing peer support, and social gatherings, including end-of-quarter celebrations.
While most of the group’s active members are majoring or minoring in computer science, Emerging Coders welcomes students from all disciplines, including engineering, humanities, journalism, legal studies, and radio, television, and film.
“People want to learn about the tech industry, and everyone is welcome,” said Majidy, who is also pursuing a linguistics minor at Northwestern’s Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. “If you want to be part of the community, we accept anyone.”
Associate professor of instruction Vincent St-Amour serves as the faculty adviser for Emerging Coders.
“It's been incredible watching Emran, Safiya, and the team build one of our most active student clubs in such a short time,” St-Amour said. “They clearly found an unmet need and fostered a strong and healthy community around it.”
Majidy and Menk, who both plan to pursue careers in software engineering, have gained confidence through leadership of and participation in Emerging Coders.
“It's been exciting to see how an idea can turn into so much more,” Majidy said. “It is really cool to see the positive impact – seeing how many people take time out of their busy schedules to come to our events, watching those bonds form as people build friendships and introduce one another.”
“As a newer club, we are learning along the way,” Menk said. “In just two years, we’ve created a space where people feel comfortable talking, asking questions, and getting the resources they need. It’s rewarding, and it makes me really happy.”
Connect with Emerging Coders via their website, listserv, GroupMe group, and Instagram.