Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: Girl Code
WORK NOTES: with Andrea Gonzales
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE:
CITY: Providence
STATE: RI
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-houser-605b2ab1/ * https://www.harpercollins.com/cr-124197/sophie-houser * https://amysmartgirls.com/meet-smartists-sophie-houser-and-andrea-gonzales-creators-of-the-feminist-video-game-tampon-run-81df5bf0a19b * http://www.teenvogue.com/story/tampon-run-game
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Female.
EDUCATION:Brown University, Providence, RI, studying computer science.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Facebook, software engineering intern.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Sophie Houser and Andrea “Andy” Gonzales are computer coders who met as teenagers at a Girls Who Code summer camp program in 2014. Their summer project was a video game called Tampon Run, which was designed to dispel taboos about menstruation. In 2017 as college students, they collaborated on the book, Girl Code: Gaming, Going Viral, and Getting It Done, which describes how Tampon Run went viral and describes their desire to work in the tech industry. In an interview with Isis Madrid online at Public Radio International, Houser explained her and Gonzales’ goal making Tampon Run: “Andy and I both wanted to make a game with a social message…We also did some research and learned that the menstrual taboo is a much more serious issue in other parts of the world. At that point, we knew we had to make the game.”
From the Upper West Side of Manhattan and studying computer science at Brown University, House is a shy girl with self-doubt and a fear of public speaking who hoped that learning about computer programming would give her a chance to express herself. Gonzales, the child of Filipino immigrants, began coding before her freshman year of high school and has been interested in computer science, women in science, technology, engineering, and math for many years. She attends the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a Robertson Scholar. She is also an advocate for women in computer science.
Girl Code, A Junior Library Guild selection, explores Houser and Gonzales’s rise after the success of Tampon Run and how girls can be encouraged to enter the technology industry. Told in alternating points of view of each girl, the book describes their Girls Who Code summer camp, the phenominal reception of their video game, their access to huge technology start-up and technology companies, their commitment to inspiring other young women, and highlights of women who are shaping the industry. The young women’s “intelligence, humanity, creativity, seriousness of purpose, and humor will stick with readers, and inspire them,” according to a writer in Publishers Weekly, who also said the impressive debut book was an enthusiastic and sympathetic accounting of Houser and Gonzales’ journey. “Inspiring and hopeful,” the book “show[s] readers that success in STEM fields is more than possible for women,” said Elaine Baran Black in School Library Journal. Writing in Kirkus Reviews, a contributor noted: “The psychology of self-doubt and value of persistence are well-presented—the co-authors stress that the greater the frustration, the better the payoff.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Kirkus Reviews, January 15, 2017, review of Girl Code: Gaming, Going Viral, and Getting It Done.
Publishers Weekly, January 23, 2017, review of Girl Code, p. 83.
School Library Journal, Elaine Baran Black, January 2017, review of Girl Code, p. 118.
ONLINE
Public Radio International, https://www.pri.org/ (June 15, 2015), Isis Madrid, author interview.
Sophie Houser is a student at Brown University who learned to code at the Girls Who Code summer program. As her final project she co-created a game called Tampon Run with Andrea Gonzales to break down the menstrual taboo in society. The game went viral, throwing her into the limelight of the press, the public, and the tech world. In addition to coding, Sophie also enjoys laughing with her friends, wearing socks with interesting patterns, and Photoshopping funny scenes. She is pursuing all of these passions as well as many more at college and beyond.
Sophie Houser & Andrea Gonzales
Sophie Houser is a nineteen year old New Yorker who suffered from serious period shame until age 16. That summer she learned to code at a Girls Who Code summer program. As her final project she co-created a game, Tampon Run, with Andrea Gonzales to break down the menstrual taboo in society. It went viral, throwing her into the limelight of the press, the public and the tech world. In addition to coding and talking about her period, Sophie also enjoys laughing with her friends, wearing socks with interesting patterns and photoshopping funny scenes. She is pursuing all of these passions as well as many more at Brown University and beyond.
Andrea Gonzales is an 18-year old high school student, hailing from New York City. The summer before her freshman year of high school, Andy started learning to code—ever since then, she’s been passionate about computer science and women in STEM. When Andy went to Girls Who Code, she learned the power of working around other girls, and that manifested itself in the video game, Tampon Run. Tampon Run’s success exceeded all expectations, and Andy was thrown into a world outside of her high school. Beyond her passion for computer science, Andy is a music, comic book, and video game enthusiast. She looks forward to continuing her education at University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) as a Robertson Scholar and remaining an active advocate for women in computer science.
Sophie Houser and Andrea Gonzales met at a Girls Who Code summer coding program in 2014. Although one wore Adidas and the other wore Doc Martens, they were able to put their footwear differences aside for the final project of the program. The two teamed up and created Tampon Run, a game to combat the stigma around menstruation. The game went viral and threw them into the limelight of the press, the public and the tech world. Sophie, now 19, goes to Brown University and enjoys laughing with her friends, wearing socks with interesting patterns and photoshopping funny scenes. Andy, now 18, goes to University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) and is passionate about music, comic books, and video games. When Sophie and Andy are together, you’ll often find them eating blocks of mozzarella cheese and scrolling through Google images of pizza (this is not a joke).
Joanna Volpe
Meet Smartists Sophie Houser and Andrea Gonzales: Creators of the Feminist Video Game “Tampon Run”
Every day, it becomes more and more apparent that girls are blossoming in fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Among the young women currently taking the world by storm are Sophie Houser and Andrea “Andy” Gonzales; two high school students who hail from New York City. These girls met at the Girls Who Code summer immersion program, and bonded over their concern with the stigma that exists in our society about menstruation. In fact, they felt so strongly about the taboo that they created an 8-bit video game which encourages people to be more open about this normal bodily function that every woman experiences. Naturally, the game is called Tampon Run. And yes, it quickly went viral.
We’re happy to report that the girls have now co-authored a book called Girl Code: Gaming, Going Viral, and Getting it Done, telling their inspiring story. It also includes some generous bonus content to help you get started in coding! The book will be released on March 7th, 2017, by HarperCollins Children’s Books. Today it is our absolute pleasure to reveal the gorgeous cover.
Amidst their busy schedule, we also managed to sneak in a few words with Sophie and Andy.
Smart Girls: You explain in your TEDx talk that the culture of menstruation and tampon taboo teaches women that their normal and natural bodily function is embarrassing, crude and shameful. What role does Tampon Run play in combatting this issue?
Sophie and Andy: We set out to use comedy and satire, plus a fun, retro video game platform, to provide an entertaining, non-threatening way to confront the serious issue of the menstrual taboo. No one likes being lectured or yelled at or made uncomfortable, and we kept that in mind when we made Tampon Run. We wanted to create thoughtfulness and discussion around a topic that is normally off limits since discussion itself is a major step to overcoming any taboo. Shortly after the game went live, people loved and rabidly shared it. We achieved our goal of giving people license to talk about their personal experiences with menstruation, or their traumas due to the taboo, and created greater awareness around the whole issue.
SG: Without giving away all of Girl Code, can you tell us a little bit about how you created Tampon Run, and a particularly tricky technical or creative challenge you faced?
Andy: We teamed [at the Girls Who Code program] to create a final project at the end of the summer, spending a week building the game from a blank white screen, to a few colored blocks moving around, to a full game. It was a wild experience to build something from nothing, and sometimes it was also incredibly frustrating. Getting the girl character in the game to jump up and down was especially hard. Sophie spent a full twenty-four hours trying to get her to go up and come back down, full of lots of grumbling, stress eating and maybe some tears. But when the girl finally jumped, it was the most intense feeling of success Sophie’s ever experienced. Many high fives were in order.
SG: What advice would you each give to other young girls who are interested in pursuing higher education or careers in computer science, but need help getting over the initial barrier?
Sophie: There are lots of barriers that the outside world imposes on you, but don’t let your inner personal barriers — fears you won’t succeed, that you’re not smart enough or good enough — get in your way. If you put yourself down or don’t believe in yourself (as cheesy as that sounds) then you won’t get anywhere. But if you pursue your goals, even in small ways, you’d be surprised about what you’re capable of doing.
Andy: Don’t be afraid! Reach out to that company you’re interested in, sign up for that camp or class that you found online. People make a big deal about there being a huge gender imbalance in the tech industry and, while that may be true, there’s no denying how welcoming and supportive the female tech community is. I definitely wouldn’t be where I’m at today without all my mentors and colleagues, both men and women. It seems very daunting to get past that initial barrier, but the reward on the other side is immeasurable!
SG: Tell us about a surprising result or reaction you got from the public after unleashing Tampon Run into the world.
Sophie and Andy: We were surprised we got any reaction at all!! We were two high school kids who put their summer project online one night — we did not think that two years later we would be writing a book about the crazy things that happened in between. It was incredible and moving to see that our tiny game resonated with strangers around the world. We got emails and tweets of support talking about people’s menstruation horror stories (one girl shared her story of bleeding in white pants in front of her crush) and girls who wanted to learn how to code because of the game. One middle school teacher in California even emailed to say that all the girls and boys were playing Tampon Run every recess. When one fifth-grade girl called menstruation gross, an eighth-grade boy explained that menstruation wasn’t gross at all. That was pretty cool.
SG: Beside the obvious coding skills that you’ve mastered from creating Tampon Run, how has this project been helpful to you personally?
Sophie and Andy: Our experiences with Tampon Run have been hugely empowering. We’ve learned that even though we’re just two girls, we can reach and affect people globally. We have power and agency because we have ideas and a voice, and through coding we have the ability to reach millions of people worldwide in a nanosecond thanks to the internet. Tampon Run showed us that we need to have the confidence to use our voices as well as the digital tools available to us. We see what’s going on in the world, and there are so many issues regarding, race, gender, class, the environment, and global politics that need to change. We want to continue to speak up and to create that kind of social change!
SG: If a reader is thinking about picking up a copy of Girl Code, what is your quick pitch that will make them seal the deal?
Sophie and Andy: If you want to learn about women doing cool things — and not just us, lots of other women in tech, too! — and you want to be inspired to start your own project and you want to laugh a lot (and maybe even cry a little) and you want to feel proud of being a girl…well, this book is for you!
SG: Now that you’ve collaborated together on a video game and a book, what might the future hold?
Sophie: We’re both super focused on college right now! I just finished my freshman year at Brown University where I studied Computer Science and a range of other subjects like studio art, poetry and literature. This summer I’ll be interning at Facebook as part of a special program for rising sophomores, called Facebook University for Engineering. I’m excited to experience Facebook from the inside, and to learn how to build Android apps.
Andy: I’m starting my freshman year in the fall at University of North Carolina as a Robertson Scholar, where I plan on majoring in Computer Science. Even though we are miles away from each other now, we continue to support, encourage and inspire each other. And we’re excited to continue to spread the message of Tampon Run and all the personal things we’ve learned through our experiences.
SG: And finally, what is another cultural taboo that needs to be promptly squashed?
Sophie and Andy: WOW, THERE ARE TRULY A TON: Raising awareness about gender identity, sexual orientation, racial stereotypes, body image, xenophobia, abortion, sexual objectification of women — and so many more!
We wish Sophie and Andy every continued success in computer science! Are there other girl coders out there who are working on an exciting project? Feel free to reach out to us on Twitter, or in the comment section below.
Meet the Girls Who Developed the Internet's Most Talked-About (and Addictive, and Awesome) New Game, 'Tampon Run'
Oh yeah, Andrea Gonzales and Sophie Houser are going there.
Elizabeth Kiefer
Sep 19, 2014 11:58AM EDT
Photos: Nadia Gilbert
Real talk: We live in a world where it's totally cool to run over prostitutes for fun in video games like Grand Theft Auto, but women talking about their periods is still a cultural taboo. Luckily, we also live in a world where girls are demanding more from the gaming industry and society at large—and they're taking matters into their own hands.
Sophie Houser, 17, and Andrea Gonzales, 16, are the dream team behind the new girl-power game Tampon Run that's been taking the internet by storm the past few weeks. It's a little like Angry Birds in that you launch missiles at enemies and will definitely become addicted within the first five minutes of playing (guilty...), but instead of launching feathered friends, TR features a warrior woman armed with—you guessed it—tampons. It's fun and simple, with a powerful message that shows up in the opening frames: "Although the concept of the game might be strange," Sophie and Andy write, "it's stranger that our society has accepted and normalized guns and violence through video games, yet we still find tampons and menstruation unspeakable."
So how did Tampon Run start? Its creators met this summer while they were both students at Girls Who Code. Throughout the course, they worked on projects designed to use their creative and logic skills to make products and solve problems. "Tampon Run was a culmination of all the stuff we learned over the summer," Andy told us. She wanted to create a video game with a social impact and a feminist twist as soon as the assignment came up, and Sophie immediately jumped on board. "We were brainstorming and we joked that maybe we could have a girl throw tampons in our game, because we have both personally experienced the menstrual taboo. As we researched, we realized what a serious and broad issue it is, and we wanted to make a difference."
Their biggest technical challenge in the game was getting the character to jump—Andy spent many frustrating hours trying to get her to hit the right height mark, but eventually she cracked the code. (Now you can clear the bad guys who are trying to steal your tampons. Phew.)
"There's a lot of emphasis right now on how few women there are in the tech industry," Sophie says. "But I think it's important to point out how the welcoming the community of women in tech actually are. We need more women in tech because women have a unique perspective. I don't think a guy would have made this game." Neither do we—and we're glad this one came from the girl's team.
Tampon Run is a must-play, whether you're interested in coding, curious about the awesome feminist message, or just looking to kill a few minutes between classes.** Hop over and check it out.**
Anyone else think this is the coolest thing they've seen all week? Chat with us in the comments, and give us a shout if you have any questions for Andrea and Sophie, or about Girls Who Code!
Two high schoolers create Tampon Run video game to take the taboos out of menstruation
June 15, 2015 · 12:45 PM EDT
By Isis Madrid
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Andrea Gonzales and Sophie Houser Credit: Courtesy Tampon Run
We spoke to Sophie Houser, 17-year-old New Yorker, Girls Who Code alum and co-creator of Tampon Run about women in STEM, the stigma around menstruation and how her 8-bit creation is disrupting both.
Across Women's Lives: How and why did you become interested in coding?
Sophie Houser: I became interested in coding last summer when I participated in a Girls Who Code summer immersion program. My mom encouraged me to apply because she knew I liked being creative and math. She saw coding as the intersection of the two.
AWL: What was the first thing you ever coded?
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#TeachHer tells the stories of women and girls learning, teaching and changing the world from the classroom to the field to the lab and beyond. Read more and get involved.
Sophie: The first thing I ever coded was a black square that showed up on the screen. It was exhilarating!
AWL: What’s the biggest, craziest thing you would like to code one day?
Sophie: I think using tech to connect people is really exciting, so I'd love to build something that does that in some way. I also think coding a robot that mimics humans — has emotions and thoughts — would be super cool.
AWL: Tell me about Andy [Andrea Gonzales], your GWC partner and Tampon Run co-creator. How did you meet and start working together?
Sophie: We met in July in the Girls Who Code summer program. It was Andy's third summer coding and my first. We have a really good time together. I feel so lucky to have a partner in this Tampon Run adventure, especially one I get along with so well.
AWL: How did you two come up with the idea for Tampon Run?
Sophie: Andy and I both wanted to make a game with a social message for our final Girls Who Code project, so we teamed up. She originally wanted to make a game that targeted the hypersexualization of women in games. But while brainstorming I jokingly suggested we make a game where someone throws tampons. That spurred a conversation about our own experiences with the menstrual taboo. We also did some research and learned that the menstrual taboo is a much more serious issue in other parts of the world. At that point, we knew we had to make the game.
AWL: How conscious of the stigma around menstruation and periods were you before you made the game? Do you think Tampon Run can help get rid of it? What can?
Sophie: We were aware of the stigma through our own experiences. The first time I got my period I was too embarrassed to go the store and buy tampons myself because I didn't want to even look the cashier in the eye. Many of my girl friends said they had had similar situations. Also, my guy friends and I are very open with each other, but whenever any of us started talking about menstruation they would say "ew" and either change the subject or walk away.
In the months since Tampon Run came out, they've become so much more open about discussing menstruation. I've even become much more comfortable talking about my period and noticed that my friends and I discuss it more openly and with more pride. We hope Tampon Run spurs thought and discussion around the taboo. The more we talk about menstruation, the less taboo it will be.
AWL: What was the Girls Who Code experience like?
Sophie: I loved my summer at Girls Who Code! First, I had never been in an all-girls program. I loved collaborating with the 19 other girls. I also loved learning to code because I found it empowering. It was empowering because I got to build something from nothing all myself. It was also empowering to fail over and over again and then finally succeed and see my program run.
AWL: Besides great programs like GWC, how do you think that we as a society can encourage girls and women to go into STEM and the world of STEM to embrace them/promote them/not discriminate against them?
Sophie: I think having female role models in the field and female mentorship is so important to encouraging girls to enter the industry. It's hard to imagine yourself doing something if no one like you is doing it.
AWL: Have you experienced sexism in STEM?
Sophie: I've been lucky enough not to have felt extreme sexism in the field personally. Although Andy and I have both experienced telling people we're into coding and getting surprised responses. Like people don't expect us to be into STEM.
AWL: What advice would you give a young girl who wants to go into coding/tech, but doesn’t know where to begin/doesn’t feel supported?
Sophie: I would tell her to just try it out because coding can be so fun and rewarding. Although there might not be many women in STEM, every one of them we've met is open, inviting and encouraging. It's a great community. There are Women Who Code groups around the world that bring women who code together to meet for talks and presentations. I would see if there's one near you. I would also recommend seeing if there's a Girls Who Code program or club near you. There are also online tutorials.
AWL: Thank, Sophie! Any other thoughts on women in STEM?
Sophie: I'm so happy I learned to code! I was interested in history, English and photography before last summer and now I'm planning on majoring in computer science in college. Learning to code made me a more confident person because I realized that I had the power and ability to build anything.
Teenage coders behind Tampon Run take their feminist game to the App Store
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Throwing some tampons at sexism in the tech industry
by Nitasha Tiku Feb 3, 2015, 9:00am EST
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There’s no known antidote to the toxicity of Gamergate, but one good way to recuperate is by directing your attention to the teenage creators behind a game called Tampon Run. Sophie Houser, 17, and Andrea Gonzales, 16, met during a summer program run by the non-profit Girls Who Code. For their final project, the New York City high school students built a game to try to de-stigmatize menstruation by letting players shoot tampons (not guns) at their enemies. The game brought so much attention to its precocious creators (and the taboo subject) that the pair is launching a new-and-improved mobile version in the Apple App Store today.
Not convinced getting your period is all that taboo? Try walking through your office carrying a tampon in plain sight. Stop and chat with a male colleague on your way to the restroom, while you're at it. Then imagine the middle school version of that exchange. "Something most women get for a majority of their lives is embarrassing, crude and shameful," Houser explained in a TEDx talk about gender and tech from December.
Their equality agenda also includes a game about catcalls, built at a Stanford hackathon
But the duo’s equality agenda doesn’t end there. After launching Tampon Run, Houser and Gonzales were named finalists at a Stanford hackathon for a game called Catcall Run. In that rapidly strung-together version, the player flings "tools of empowerment" like pencils, computers, and notebooks at oncoming catcallers, who then switch over into "graduation garb because they had been educated," Houser told The Verge.
In fact, a shared interest in women’s issues is what brought the pair together. When it came time to find a partner for the final project at Girls Who Code, "I was in the social activist corner, and Andy was in the art corner," said Houser. Gonzales pitched a project about "the hyper-sexualization of women in gaming," and Houser "made a beeline" for Gonzales because she loved the idea of using code as a creative tool for activism.
They eventually settled on Tampon Run, an old school 8-bit online game. In it, the girl character throws tampons to destroy her enemies, who will confiscate the tampons if she lets them pass by. The notion of weaponized tampons is a reference to a 2013 incident where Texas state troopers confiscated tampons (as potential projectiles), but not guns, from visitors who were trying to get inside the Texas State Capitol to observe a controversial vote on abortion restrictions.
Weaponized tampons is a reference to a real-life incident in Texas
The online version of Tampon Run is simple, literal, and light-hearted, but that's what they were able to do with limited training and time. The iOS version of Tampon Run gets more challenging over time and includes a flying enemy and leaderboard.
In the TEDx talk from last month, Houser and Gonzales said their larger goal was to encourage more girls to experiment with coding. "I don’t think a guy would have made Tampon Run, and I don’t think Andy or I would have made it if we were in a co-ed computer camp," Houser told the crowd, lighting up when she described how great it felt to get the character to jump after two frustrating days of coding. Continually overcoming those difficulties is what makes you feel successful, she explained.
The iOS version of the game, which launches today, was built with help from Pivotal Labs, which volunteered its expertise pro bono for seven weeks. Pivotal, a development consultancy, typically works on projects for clients like Twitter, Groupon, and Best Buy.
Houser readily admits that she and Gonzales have caught some lucky breaks. For example, they were introduced to Pivotal through investor and entrepreneur Nihal Mehta, the husband of Girls Who Code founder and CEO Reshma Saujani. Mehta is a member of the non-profit's "Brain Trust." Houser thought they were going to Pivotal for a "scoping session." The girls answered questions about what they wanted to build and how long that would take. "We couldn’t be at Pivotal all day. High school," Houser said, with what sounded like a shrug. Pivotal decided to offer up a dedicated team for seven weeks. In a statement, Catherine McGarvey, NYC Office Director at Pivotal Labs said: "Pivotal values diversity and enjoyed supporting an initiative that fosters inclusiveness in the tech industry."
All the good-intentioned attention hasn't yet translated into traffic for the game, which has had 232,000 unique visitors since it launched last September. Houser said the numbers were "surprisingly low based on the media coverage." (They've been featured everywhere from Fast Company to Teen Vogue.) Perhaps "people were sharing the news articles and maybe not clicking and playing the game." If the app doesn’t get traction, there's a chance a book will fare better. Houser and Gonzales are talking to agents about writing something "that would encourage girls to code."
"I want to stand here like a woman."
Houser, who only learned to code this summer, is committed to majoring in Computer Science. She and Gonzales pay close attention to the gender gap in the tech industry and have been carefully observing women harassed by Gamegate. "It's definitely scary, and we were very lucky," she said, that Tampon Run has only received "some hate mail from people who were anti-gun control because we had a little message about violence in video games."
Watching Gamergate unfold "was horrible to see and to hear about," said Houser. "But it strangely made me want to be here more. I want to stand here like a woman. I want to hold my ground."
Exclusive: Meet 'Tampon Run' Creators Sophie Houser & Andrea Gonzales
By Maya Devereaux in News
Posted Feb 19 2015 - 01:00pm
Tagged tamponperiodcodingwomen in techfeminismtechnology
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Just this past year, NYC-bred teens Sophie Houser, 17, and Andrea Gonzales, 16, met at a summer program that teaches women to code. For their final project, the two ladies created Tampon Run, an 8-bit video game where players collect and shoot tampons at the villains they're being chased by. The game turned into a huge hit almost overnight and sparked a greater discussion about destigmatizing the menstrual cycle and women's presence in the tech industry. We were lucky enough to chat with the creators and hear why they created a game that poked fun at periods and how the coding process for the game went, so check out what they had to say!
Her Campus: Society is so used to the way the menstrual cycle is viewed that many probably don’t even realize there is a stigma attached to it. How would you describe this attitude toward periods for those who don’t really get why it's negative and why it should be corrected?
Andrea: Before creating Tampon Run, I was always embarrassed when I had my period. I felt uncomfortable asking my dad to buy me tampons, and on my way to the bathroom I'd tuck my tampons and pads away. In some other countries, menstruation is considered disgusting and repulsive to the point where women are marginalized for menstruating; while on their periods, they're isolated from work, friends, family. That's the menstrual taboo. Tampon Run is meant to address that menstruation is a normal part of a woman's life. We want a girl or woman to feel as comfortable asking a friend to buy her tampons as they do toilet paper.
Sophie: The first time I got my period, I was too embarrassed to buy myself my own tampons, so I had my mom buy them for me. I didn't want to be seen in the "feminine hygiene" aisle at the pharmacy, I didn't want to make eye contact with the cashier as I paid, and I didn't want anyone to see me with the tampons on the two block walk home. Many of my friends experienced the same thing. The menstrual taboo [is] feeling embarrassed and ashamed of a normal and natural bodily function, something that embodies womanhood. It's important to combat the menstrual taboo to empower women to love their bodies in every way, including their periods!
HC: What’s the greater message you’d like to send out to users and just anybody interested in Tampon run? Is it destigmatizing the menstrual cycle, is it empowering women to enter the tech field, or both?
Andy: Both! Both! Both! Tampon Run isn't just about destigmatizing menstruation. It's also about encouraging other girls to learn to code. I'm passionate about getting more women into coding. Having more women in the field can generate so much diversity in the products that the tech community generates. I don't think a man would have developed Tampon Run. [The game] demonstrates that women can be successful programmers, bring a different perspective, and contribute just as much to the community.
Sophie: It's definitely both! When we initially created Tampon Run, our goal was to combat the menstrual taboo. We had no idea that the game would get so much attention when we first posted it online in September. We thought just our family and friends would see it. Now that Tampon Run has been celebrated, written up and shared around the world, we hope that other girls feel encouraged by our story to learn to code.
HC: What advice would you give women out there who dream of one day making an app? A lot of women dream of creating an app one day, but it's mostly discussed in hypothetical terms and as a joke because of things like capital, knowledge of coding, etc. that might prevent them from trying in the first place.
Andy: Go for it! Coding is such a great way to take an idea and bring it to fruition—and it's so rewarding when you step back and look at what you've made. But for women specifically: we shouldn't feel afraid to become a part of this community! Although the female community in tech is small, we have found it to be so welcoming and so wonderful. Based on our experience, I feel like there will always be people to help you, every step of the way.
Sophie: I would tell them to take a class, either in person or online, and see if they are turned on by coding! I fell in love with coding last summer at Girls Who Code. Every day I failed, every day I felt frustrated, and every day I felt elated once I found that word or curly brace that was missing from my code and enabled me to succeed at what I was building. It’s all about problem solving, which is both challenging and hugely rewarding. It is also so empowering and creative to make something from nothing, which coding allows you to do. Tampon Run started as a blank screen; then we added the background, then the characters. Next we made the characters move, then made our heroine jump and throw tampons. I knew that everything happening on screen was something Andy or I had coded. I worked for a full day trying to get the girl to jump in the web game. I had assumed that it would be quick and easy, but each time I tried she just wouldn't go up and back down. It was so frustrating! But when I finally figured it out, watching her jump made me feel so proud. I am a coding convert and hope increasingly more girls and women will give it a try. I would also encourage women to find mentors who can be supportive. We couldn't have come this far over the past five months if it weren't for the many people who have taught, mentored, helped and supported us along the way.
HC: Right now, women have a presence in the tech industry, but it sure seems that they are too far and few between! What hopes do you have for women in the tech industry? In 10 years where do you think and hope women will stand?
Andy: I have high hopes! In 10 years, I hope that women will be wherever the men are. The gender ratio should be 1:1, and women will hopefully have opportunities to be contributing just as much as the men! And get equal pay doing it.
Sophie: Ten years from now, I hope we’ll see more women starting tech companies, and more women in positions of leadership in general. I also hope that there are equal numbers of female and male programmers. As more women get into tech, there will be more female role models in the field, which will encourage and make it easier for other females to follow those paths.
HC: How has life changed since September? Do you ladies still go to school full-time? Are you planning on going into computer-related fields in college? What about making another game?
Andy: So much has changed. I still go to school full-time, which is definitely difficult for me, especially since it's my junior year in high school. I use the Mail app on my phone so much. And Twitter? I never used Twitter before Tampon Run! I spend a lot of time answering emails and taking phone calls and talking to Sophie. But it's definitely worth it! I do plan on pursuing a CS degree in college, but I have to survive the rest of high school first!
Sophie: My life has changed drastically since September. I still go to high school full-time, but spend most hall breaks and free periods during the school day dealing with Tampon Run. I’m on email non-stop now, and often walk through the halls in between classes with my computer open mid email, dealing with press and other inquiries. It's been exciting to see outside my high school bubble in the last five months to what the real tech world is like. In October Andy and I were flown to Silicon Valley by a gaming company, Weebyco, to participate in a gaming hackathon organized by Stanford alum. We spent 36 hours there creating a new game called Catcall Run, which addressed street harassment. We haven't had the bandwidth to spend more time on it, but maybe we will once we can catch our breath from Tampon Run. In November we were invited to give a TEDx Talk and to speak at the Girls Who Code gala. And Andy and I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to work with a leading agile development firm, Pivotal Labs, to create the mobile app. It was eye opening to experience what it’s like to work at a creative, collaborative tech company. It has inspired me even more to become a programmer and work in tech. I will be attending Brown University next year where I am planning on studying Computer Science.
Sophie Houser and Andrea Gonzales met at a Girls Who Code summer coding program in 2014. The two teamed up and created Tampon Run, a game to combat the stigma around menstruation. The game went viral and threw them into the limelight of the press, the public and the tech world. When Sophie and Andy are together, you’ll often find them eating blocks of mozzarella cheese and scrolling through Google images of pizza (this is not a joke).
Growing up, I was a shy, quiet girl with an intense fear of public speaking and no self-confidence. That’s because I used to think that anything I had to say was dumb. I was even terrified to say anything in class, so I always just kept my mouth shut. Through building Tampon Run and the insanity that ensued when it went viral, I learned that I do have a voice and that I want to use it. By reaching millions of people around the world almost overnight, I learned first-hand that coding is a great way to speak up. And through the Tampon Run journey, I have also realized how much I actually love public speaking.
I’m in my sophomore year at Brown University where I’m studying Computer Science. Last summer I was an intern at Facebook’s headquarters in Silicon Valley. This summer I’m returning to Facebook as a software engineering intern in their New York office. Although I’m not sure exactly what I want to do when I’m “grown up” (which is pretty soon??), I know I want to continue to use code to speak up and create positive social change, and to create change using other mediums as well.
Girl Code: Gaming, Going Viral, and Getting It Done
264.4 (Jan. 23, 2017): p83.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Girl Code: Gaming, Going Viral, and Getting It Done
Andrea Gonzales and Sophie Houser. Harper,$17.99 (272p) ISBN 978-0-06-247250-2
In this impressive debut, Gonzales and Houser enthusiastically and sympathetically recount how they met as high school students and created a stigma-cracking video game during a seven-week Girls Who Code course in 2014. A lighthearted attack on the "menstrual taboo," their game, Tampon Run, had roots in a quest for social impact; this book, told in alternating voices, extends that by encouraging more girls to learn how to code. Houser originally hoped that coding would enable her to share great ideas without public speaking, while Gonzales wondered if she really wanted to become an engineer, as her Filipino immigrant parents hoped. Successful beyond their wildest imaginings, their game drew Houser and Gonzales further into the tech world, where over the next year, they competed with college students, learned to promote and adapt their product, interned at venture-capital-backed startups, and wrestled with their self-images. Their accomplishments (including this narrative, written while they attend college), intelligence, humanity, creativity, seriousness of purpose, and humor will stick with readers, and inspire them. Ages 13-up. Agent: Mackenzie Brady Watson, New Leaf Literary & Media. (Mar.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Girl Code: Gaming, Going Viral, and Getting It Done." Publishers Weekly, 23 Jan. 2017, p. 83. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA479714262&it=r&asid=a12ba168f07fba44c6637c7475537b44. Accessed 2 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A479714262
Gonzales, Andrea: GIRL CODE
(Jan. 15, 2017):
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Gonzales, Andrea GIRL CODE Harper/HarperCollins (Children's Nonfiction) $17.99 3, 7 ISBN: 978-0-06-247250-2
The teens behind the web video game "Tampon Run" tell how they got started in programming.This is a first-person account of how Filipina Andrea "Andy" Gonzales from the East Village and the Bronx and white Sophie Houser from the Upper West Side met at the Girls Who Code summer program and joined forces to create a video game that received viral media attention. The chapters are organized chronologically and, inside each, switch between the two authors' lively narrations. First, they introduce themselves and their backgrounds with programming: Sophie was a high achiever crippled by self-doubt and terrified of public speaking who was drawn to the GWC program to learn a new way to express herself; Andy was a lifelong gamer and programmer's daughter who had already attended coding programs by the time she attended GWC. What brought the two together for their project was a desire to combine social commentary with their coding, resulting in their successful game. The game (and networking opportunities from GWC) has brought them attention and many more opportunities, but it also took more time and energy than they had to spare. By book's end, they find themselves evaluating their futures with technology. The psychology of self-doubt and value of persistence are well-presented--the co-authors stress that the greater the frustration, the better the payoff. Tech-centered empowerment for those who feel voiceless. (coding appendix with glossary, sample code, resources) (Memoir. 12-17)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Gonzales, Andrea: GIRL CODE." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Jan. 2017. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA477242272&it=r&asid=10c98ee30cab09fb69f381dec484cbeb. Accessed 2 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A477242272
Girl Code: Gaming, Going Viral, and Getting It Done
Ilene Cooper
113.7 (Dec. 1, 2016): p44.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Girl Code: Gaming, Going Viral, and Getting It Done. By Andrea Gonzales and Sophie Houser. Mar. 2017.272p. illus. Harper, $17.99 (9780062472502). 794. Gr. 6-10.
Here's a welcome addition to STEM shelves. Teenagers Gonzales and Houser met at a Girls Who Code computer camp in 2014, and, for a final project, they created the game Tampon Run, which aims to break down menstruation taboos. To the girls' surprise, the game took off, and soon they were minicelebs in both pop culture and the tech world, with lots of opportunities. Their experiences are recounted in alternating chapters. Sophie, the girl terrified of public speaking, finds her voice, while Andrea, who comes from a strict Filipino household, must deal with making her own choices. (Though their story lines are distinct, the girls tend to sound the same.) The paucity of women in computer science is a thread, but there are plenty of mentors here, women and men, urging the duo on. Readers who come to this knowing nothing about coding will get an introductory primer--and, at the book's conclusion, the opportunity to try coding on their own. This shows both the ups and downs of success and celebrity, and the wisdom of keeping options open. --Ilene Cooper
Cooper, Ilene
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Cooper, Ilene. "Girl Code: Gaming, Going Viral, and Getting It Done." Booklist, 1 Dec. 2016, p. 44. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA474719962&it=r&asid=b72a748a43b6e5fcadb0c7d55a30c31f. Accessed 2 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A474719962
Gonzales, Andrea & Sophie Houser. Girl Code: Gaming, Going Viral, and Getting It Done
Elaine Baran Black
63.1 (Jan. 2017): p118.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
GONZALES, Andrea & Sophie Houser. Girl Code: Gaming, Going Viral, and Getting It Done. 272p. appendix, photos. HarperCollins. Mar. 2017. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9780062472502. POP
Gr 8 Up--The authors, two extremely talented teenagers who met at a summer learning program called Girls Who Code, were tired of seeing young men receive most of the encouragement to pursue STEM jobs. They were also done with men driving conversations about women's bodies. Gonzales and Houser decided to do something about it. The empowering video game they created, Tampon Run, quickly went viral and ultimately changed their lives forever. This book aims to provide students with the inside scoop on coding and what life is like for women in STEM industries. Through alternating chapters, readers discover a bit about each author's background and how she came to attend Girls Who Code. The inspiration and reason behind their magnum opus are also explored. Gonzales's and Houser's writing styles are conversational and work well to dispel the aura of inaccessibility that often surrounds works on technology. (Houser talks at length about her social anxiety, and Gonzales discusses the pressures she felt as a child of two Filipino immigrants.) Curious teens will enjoy a section at the end on getting started in coding. Gonzales and Houser never make their story sound easy, but they do show readers that success in STEM fields is more than possible for women. VERDICT Inspiring and hopeful; a great addition to libraries with novice and expert coders alike.--Elaine Baran Black, Georgia Public Library Service, Atlanta
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Black, Elaine Baran. "Gonzales, Andrea & Sophie Houser. Girl Code: Gaming, Going Viral, and Getting It Done." School Library Journal, Jan. 2017, p. 118. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA476559717&it=r&asid=8adba298f757d7f6c0646bba805f9dfc. Accessed 2 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A476559717