HT’s C2 Center To Launch Monday With High School Camp
Huston-Tillotson University, in partnership with Apple and Tennessee State University, will host the HBCU Coding and Creativity C2 Center next week on the HT campus.
The three-day session will be held Monday, August 9, Wednesday, August 11, and Friday, August 13, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Huston-Tillotson’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI).
The camp will host high school-aged youth from the Excellence and Advancement Foundation, dedicated to disrupting the relationship between race, schooling, and incarceration.
The Huston-Tillotson C2 Center aims to bring coding and creativity into the classroom and the Austin community by using technology to support the advancement of underrepresented populations and addressing digital literacy. The center will provide the education and workforce needed to prepare students for the digital coding workplace.
“Coding is a fun and creative activity that should be shared with everyone,” said Dr. Abena Primo, HT Associate Professor of Computer Science. “This summer program teaches Swift programming to high-school youth and, upon completion of the program, they will know how to design a simple app using Swift. This program is one of several ongoing projects with Apple and Tennessee State University to share the joy of coding with all.”
In partnership with Apple, Tennessee State University was named the first HBCU C2 Center in 2019, with HT selected as a site in Fall 2020. The HBCU C2 initiative addresses the pressing need to focus on technology’s educational and economic impact.
Huston-Tillotson’s C2 Center will serve both faculty and students and the Central and East Austin community (youth and seniors). Faculty will have the opportunity to learn innovative teaching and learning methods by incorporating application design and coding into the curriculum for all disciplines.
“Huston-Tillotson University being named a new C2 Center in Central Texas, in partnership with Apple and Tennessee State University is monumental,” said Dr. Jennifer Miles, Director, Center for Academic Innovation & Transformation. “Digital literacy, computational processing, and coding and app development will make a huge impact on Austin’s workforce development. Not only will HT faculty and students be empowered through innovative practices, but also the broader community. The goal of equipping people of color with knowledge and skills to be competitive is our first goal.”
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