She’s Found her Niche In Programming

"I’ve really found my niche."

Like many 5th graders, Crescent junior Naomi Hiaasen liked to play video games. She later began coding and learning to write programs, recalling that her STEM classes in middle school had gotten her started. She said that her Francis Tuttle STEM teachers, including her current teacher in Programming and Software Development, remain among her favorites.

Intrigued by a visit to Francis Tuttle’s Portland campus and participating in the Engineering Challenge, she only learned about other campuses and all the offerings when she got to high school. Now, she’s honing her coding skills at a whole new level.

Naomi has learned to focus on specifics to resolve game glitches and create new levels of experiences and new worlds for people to enjoy online. She expressed, “I’ve really found my niche.”

Besides new skills, she’s made new friends from other schools since all the students in her class are focused on similar interests. Naomi is an artist, and with her grandma previously managing an art studio, she is encouraged to use her talents to code and design video games.