When William first discovered coding, he wasn’t in a classroom, he was playing video games. At just 7 years old, William made the connection that the games he loved were powered by something called coding. That simple realization sparked a lasting interest that has grown into a full journey of learning, exploration, and creativity.
Today, William is 11 years old and thriving in CodeWizardsHQ’s coding program. Although he’s still in elementary school, William has already completed multiple classes, tackled Python programming, and impressed his instructor with his logical thinking, problem-solving skills, and consistent progress.
Finding the Right Path
When it came time to nurture William’s early interest in coding, his mom set out to find the right program. She researched coding schools. “CodeWizards seemed to have really good reviews,” she explained. CodeWizards had organized, structured classes, so I thought it would be good.”
The structured environment turned out to be a great fit for William, who had already shown an aptitude for logical thinking. His mom shared, “He’s very good at logic, and he tried a few things like robotics and coding with Scratch online. We noticed that he liked it. I believe that in the future, coding will be one of the languages you have to know. Computer programming and AI will be dominating the future workforce.”
“So far, it’s been great,” his mom said about their experience with the program. “Teachers can explain things to the kids in a way that they can easily understand, and the courses progress slowly for the kids to learn. Sometimes I see what William has to work on for his homework. It’s been good.”
Diving Deeper into Coding
Currently, William is enrolled in Logic with Python, where he’s building on his foundation of coding skills with increasingly complex projects. One of William’s favorite projects is a mini-game where students design characters that jump over enemies to avoid them. It introduces new skills like using functions and implementing keyboard controls. Projects like these tap into William’s original interest in coding, the dream of building his own games. When asked what made him want to learn coding in the first place, William was clear: “I was thinking of building my own video games.”
As he’s progressed through his classes, William has found himself particularly drawn to functions. “I guess writing functions,” he said when asked what skills he enjoys most. “They’re the most interactive things.” His enthusiasm for coding shines through in his consistent work, and he’s looking forward to expanding his skills even further as he advances through the program.
A Love for Learning
William’s interests don’t stop at coding. He’s a bright, active student who enjoys science, math, and a variety of other activities outside the classroom.
When asked about his favorite school subject, he didn’t hesitate: “Science.”
He explained that he likes science because “it makes me interested compared to most other subjects.” It’s clear that science captures his imagination in a way that keeps him engaged.
Outside of school and coding, William has a full schedule of activities. He’s learning to swim, taking tennis lessons, and participating in outside math classes at the Russian School of Math, a program known for its challenging curriculum and strong competitive opportunities. He’s also been playing piano for four years.
William has been participating in math competitions since third grade. His mom shared, “Depending on the competitions, sometimes they rank you regionally or nationally. They tell you what percentile you are at. Kids can earn medals at the end of the year with an awards ceremony.” William has earned medals through his math competitions, a testament to both his skills and his dedication.
William also enjoys reading, particularly fantasy books. Some of his favorites include Wings of Fire and The Phantom Tollbooth. When talking about The Phantom Tollbooth, his enthusiasm was clear, a great match for a student who loves imaginative thinking and exploring new ideas.
A Future Full of Possibilities
While William isn’t exactly sure what career he wants to pursue yet, “I’ll see,” he said. He’s laying a strong foundation that will serve him no matter where his interests take him.
Coding will certainly be part of his journey, whether it’s building video games, creating new applications, or simply strengthening the logical thinking and problem-solving skills that are valuable in any field.
Celebrating William’s Journey
As William continues his classes at CodeWizardsHQ, we’re excited to see where his skills, creativity, and curiosity take him next. His journey so far is a wonderful reminder that with the right support, encouragement, and hard work, students can achieve great things even at a young age.
Congratulations, William, on everything you’ve already accomplished and on all the exciting possibilities still ahead!
William is very gifted. He consistently completes the project by simply looking at the example and doesn’t need any steps listed. In a Python introductory class, he actually completed an exercise in a more intuitive way than the slides did, and I turned it into the curriculum team as a suggestion to update the slides to use his way, and they did!
Josh Ennis, CodeWizardsHQ Instructor
