Charlene is 12 years old, in 7th grade at Lakeside Middle School, and wants everyone to have the opportunity to become star students. It’s why she created Mastars, a website and app she says will “help students, educators, and parents communicate, learn to ask questions for clarification, and not be afraid to reach out to one another so that they can become the best people they can be.” After interviewing students and principals, Charlene built the prototype of the product with HTML, CSS, and Javascript, which she learned through weekly classes after school at CodeSpeak Labs.
“On Mastars, students will take a survey with questions about how they’re experiencing their schools and information is stored there so that schools can learn how to improve student experiences,” Charlene says. She gives examples of bullying and harassment at schools, as well as gauging how students feel about the way their teachers teach. She is currently working with CodeSpeak Labs to test the product in Irvine schools.
Almost done with her prototype, Charlene is ready to edit and design a mobile-friendly app that parents, administrators, and students can access on phones and tablets. She hopes to continue to test Mastars at various elementary and middle schools.
“CodeSpeak Labs is a great way to get introduced to software engineering. It opens up opportunities for students’ futures,” Charlene says. Hoping to have a career in STEM, Charlene is on her way towards becoming an expert in computers and tech.