Going into this interview, a coworker reminded me that Zoe was only 10 years old. I work with a lot of teens and young adults, so interviewing a younger student isn’t new to me – but suddenly, the questions I had worked up felt a little ridiculous. I chuckled, scrapped the questions that didn’t fit, and sat down to rethink how I actually wanted to talk to her, and what type of story this would shape up to be.
Each student offers a different perspective and so many are on different paths. Zoe is a young mind seeking answers to questions, and is willing do the work to create a solution where she sees a problem. Her proficiency in robotics has assisted her in creating her first invention, and her search for answers is logical, musical and she’s finding her voice.
A Young Mind Eager to Learn
Starting in computer science at 8 years old Zoe began her journey with robotics. In a weeklong camp she was able to build and program a mechanical hand to open and close. With this ‘handy’ knowledge Zoe was hooked, and her parents continued to encourage her to build games and projects using Scratch and Java! This continued support and guidance allowed Zoe to build a foundation in coding and robotics. Zoe came to KTBYTE with all of this knowledge, joining our Advanced Robotics 3 course in 2024.
In our conversation it was a common theme between computer science and music that Zoe had a desire to understand what things were and how they worked. Simple curiosity, like not yet knowing what a piano is, or what it does, but deciding to try playing a few notes and figure it out.
Following Her Curiosity
From tapping on piano keys to typing on a keyboard, both feel like they’re creating something for Zoe. After working hard in her first robotics course Zoe moved to our competitive Robotics class. Zoe signed up for multiple competitions and got to work on deciding what she’d make. Her first step was to find a problem she thought that she could solve. Looking at her peers, she found a common problem – forgetting something you needed for the day at home.
Her solution? A robot that scans you, checks what items you have utilizing AI to recognize not only what you have but who you are. This invention won her the New Hampshire Inventors Choice Award, the Thomas Edison Pitch Contest 2nd place in Elementary Division, and the AI Theme Award. I’d say that’s prize winning curiosity.
More Than Just Coding
Outside of CS and robotics Zoe’s interests are a prized collection of things she enjoys most. From swimming and playing piano and the flute, to teaching herself the “ancient hand whistle” proving her creativity isn’t limited to any one format. Within even her most recent Robotics competitions she said that the part she felt most translated to her day to day life was the Pitch portion of the competition.
Zoe admitted she was pretty nervous before her presentation at the competition. She had a bit of experience having shared her invention with her classmates, but she knew her invention would be under more scrutiny by the judges and she’d have to be able to field any and all questions. After a volley of questions from her brother and her dad, practicing and memorizing the best responses – presentation time had come. Zoe said that after her presentation she felt like she had to have won. A sense of accomplishment at not only what she had created, but at finding her voice.
To Conclude
At the end of this interview I didn’t leave with what I expected to at all. Since this blog focuses so much on computer science I tend to skew toward that when learning about students. Zoe’s story reminded me that computer science, coding, robotics and the lot – they’re tools for creativity. They allow students to tinker, invent and explore across many disciplines. That’s what makes Zoe’s story so inspiring.
This young girl, at only 10, was able to see a problem, and had the tools, support, and determination to create a solution. With the help of her parents, her brother and KTBYTE Robotics Instructor Zachary Z. Zoe is on the trajectory to continue inventing solutions for the problems of tomorrow.
Parents often ask me, what can my 8, 9, or 10 year old really do with computer science? I hope this story shows that what it really provides provides them with are tools to think clearly, build creatively, and problem solve with confidence. For Zoe, computer science isn’t a class or a competition – it is a way of understanding and shaping the world around her.
Computer science empowers students to create the world of tomorrow
Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft