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'No dream is too big': Ciara surprises student coders at White Center school

Every week in December, middle schools in White Center learn how to code. The students got extra support from Amazon engineers and recording artist Ciara.

It was an unforgettable day for a group of White Center Middle School coders when Ciara walked into the classroom.

Recording artist Ciara surprised the students at the Hour of Code, a weekly event every December where millions of students worldwide spend time learning the crucial skill of coding.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects by 2020 there will be 1.4 million computer-science related jobs and only 400,000 graduates with skills to fill those positions.

Ciara spoke to the students about pursuing great opportunities and believing in dreams.

“I just want to encourage these kids that were around the same age group that I was when I was younger pursuing my dreams, that they can really do what they put their minds to,” Ciara said. “I definitely believe that all these kids are special and that all these kids will be future leaders of our world.”

12-year-old Sahpreme Wallis was inspired by the visit.

“She’s an artist, she sings, and she coded, and I’m coding,” Wallis said. “I used to not be into computers, but when I came in here and I started learning about what you could do with just a simple code, like just some typing, you can make a whole website.”

Ciara appeared alongside representatives from Amazon’s Future Engineer program. Amazon launched a program to inspire and educate students in computer science in underserved and low-income communities.

Amazon is hoping to help more than 10 million kids through coding camps and online lessons. For more information on the program, you can find it here.

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