Two Bucks County high school students began a popular STEM-based nonprofit in 2018. Now, while both are attending college, their organization has established a Board of Directors and has begun receiving funds to expand the program. Considering the future of the organization, corporate sponsorships and a new team of high school girls running the programs will be major parts of the plan to expand 'Girls Code The World' past the Bucks County and Philadelphia regions.

Sydney Gibbard, a biomedical engineering and pre-medicine student at Penn State Schreyer Honors College, and Shokoufandeh, a biomedical sciences student at Tufts University, established Girls Code the World while juniors at The Pennington School in New Jersey in 2018. The nonprofit aims to get more young women working in science, technology, engineering and math fields by giving them more opportunities and resources through education programs and mentorships. The group is currently running its summer programs at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. The camp is comprised of 12 different STEM-inspired lessons, with four of them centering on coding and the others including topics such as biology, physics and chemistry.

D'Souza, joined by Lee Erickson, Penn State Office of Entrepreneurship and Commercialization associate director of economic development and student programs; Sydney Gibbard, Girls Code the World co-founder; and Tamela Serensits, Argolytics LLC founder, showcased the statewide impact of the Penn State entrepreneurial ecosystem during a House Democratic Policy Committee meeting on Monday, Jan. 31, at the Penn State Innovation Hub.

Girls Code the World was one of three Penn State student startups each won $10,000 for their startups in the annual “Shark Tank”-style Inc.U Competition hosted by the Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Program (PennTAP).

President Eric Barron highlighted select students at the Board of Trustees during a report today (Nov. 12). The first student was Sydney Gibbard, founder of Girls Code the World, a nonprofit that provides resources, role models and opportunities for girls ages 8 to 12 by offering STEM educational programming sessions and mentorship

Sydney Gibbard’s parents and teachers helped encourage her interest in science, technology, engineering, and math. The Penn State biomedical engineering and premedicine student and Schreyer Honors Scholar is now working to help elementary school students develop similar interests and maintain them throughout their lives.

Invent Penn State’s 2020 Summer Founders program, a 13-week student startup accelerator, wrapped up Aug. 12 in a virtual showcase after funding seven student-startup teams with $15,000 each to work on their startup, nonprofit, or social good full time over the summer.

Sydney Gibbard is another student who utilized the Summer Founders program and spoke at the Innovation Hub. Gibbard said she, as well as students, faculty and entrepreneurs, have anticipated the in-person return to networking and will use the new hub downtown to connect.

The Penn State Law Entrepreneur Assistance Clinic (EAC) has expanded its services so small businesses, entrepreneurs, startups and nonprofit organizations can receive assistance from enthusiastic law students at no cost. Shokoufandeh requested assistance from the EAC after being accepted to Happy Valley Launchbox's 2020 Summer Founders Program.

David Rusenko speaks about his experience founding Weebly, which he sold for $365 million. At the end of the episode, Sydney Gibbard, a founder of Girls Code the World, joins the conversation. She talks to Rusenko about how to expand your startup team while maintaining high quality delivery of your product.