The Coding Initiative

2025-2026 Application

Hello Scholars,
This is the application form for the 2025-2026 Coding Initiative cohort. Our mission is to promote interest, exploration, and skill for the field of programming through student-taught lessons at all grade levels.

This year, we will be hosting more expeditions for middle school students where members will have a chance to volunteer, increase opportunities for members to compete at all levels, guide members with personal projects, and more on the way.

A few things to keep in mind:

Deadline to submit this application is Friday · Oct 25th, @ 11:59 PM. The sessions are separated into Web Development and Python Learning. The Web Development sessions are catered towards HTML, CSS, and a bit of Javascript. While the Python lessons are purely taught with the Python programming language.

Sessions will run after school on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30 to 4:30 (tentative). The sessions will be hosted on Microsoft teams, which you will have access to as a member through a unique Coding Initiative email, "first.last@scholars.codinginitiative.org."

The cohort resets each year; so previous members also have to apply. This is to give current members who are no longer interested in attending our learning sessions the opportunity to leave.

As part of the application, you'll be asked to indicate your preferred track, Web Development or Python, along with your current skill level. We'll try to place you in your selected track based on availability and fit. If your first choice isn’t available, we’ll place you in the other track. You can choose to accept the placement or withdraw.

This program uses a blind selection process, meaning identifying information like name or email will be removed from review, and will only be used for contacting interested students

Lastly, as a Coding Initiative scholar, you will have access to a plethora of opportunities whether it's college & career guidance, DSG activities, or competition activities. Thank you for your interest in The Coding Initiative, we hope to see you this year!


What is your Grade Level

Select your grade level:

(Now) Underclassman Tours · Dec 2022

Upperclassmen on Field Trip Promoting Computing

Contact information

We will use this information to send updates


What are you looking for help with?

Select all that apply:

What’s your skill level?

Select the one that best matches your experience:


Competitions

Are you interested in showcasing your knowledge competitively and taking it as far as it can go? This year, we plan to have multiple options and routes for members to apply their skill competitively. You do not have to be a Coding Initiative member to compete in these organizations; however, TCI members do get access to exclusive perks including:


Covering for competitions Fees (during 2023, 2024, and 2025, we were the only chapter that fully paid or at least subsidized its members' competition fees)

Tailored coaching and practice sessions from other members who have competed before

Assisted guidance for projects, both personal and competitive, ranging from timing, content, design, and execution

If you think you might be interested in competing, regardless of whether you end up as a Coding Initiative member, choose the organizations that you are interested in (select all that apply):

You can learn more about each on their respective pages:


Business Professionals of America
↑
 SkillsUSA
↑
Future Business Leaders of America
↑
Technology Student Association
↑

General Questions

Information to help us get to know you better - especially in relations to your interest in code. Answer in as many (or few) words as you would like. The more detail you provide, however, the better. Keep in mind that any names, emails, or identifiying information of the sort added to your answers will be edited to "[...]" by a program officer beforehand. If you have to use someone in your answer, use pronouns like: my, them, my friend, my father, my brother etc. Just because you do not have any knowledge in coding, that will not automatically cut you from our application! Almost every single person in this program since its origin did not have any experience in Information Technology besides the founders and some of the officers!

Since your progress won't be saved before you submit, we recommend typing it elsewhere then pasting here when you are done

How or why did you find interest in programming. If you have never done it before, and just want to try it out for exploration, you can explain that too (ideally at least 100 words)


What would a successful year, both personally and socially, as a TCI (The Coding Initiative) member look like to you? (ideally at least 100 words)


Share an example of a time when you faced a challenge while learning something new. How did you overcome it?


Describe a time when you were excited to learn something new. What made it exciting for you?


If you could have any superpower, what would it be? (Have fun & go crazy with this one; No ideal word limit)


Do you pour the cereal or the milk first? (No ideal word limit here either)