Jay Jay Patton is Knocking Down Barriers for Young Women in STEM
Even during the most challenging times in history, it's important to highlight those who are continuing to follow their dreams and take strides to make the world a better place. Because of that, each month, Seventeen is honoring one young person as a Voice of Change, someone who is making a difference in their community and the world at large.
Jay Jay Patton learned to code when she was just 10 years old. At 12, she created her first app for her dad's nonprofit, the Photo Patch Foundation. Now, at 16, she's a high school junior who helps run the foundation and a coding academy. "I really enjoy it because it's not what a normal 16-year-old would be doing," she told Seventeen. "And I think it's just getting me prepared for even bigger things in life."
As the Junior Director of the Photo Patch Foundation, though, Jay Jay is already doing big things. Her father, Antoine, started the nonprofit website when he was in prison and struggling to keep in contact with Jay Jay and other family members. For the seven and a half years her dad was away, Jay Jay's mom was focused on keeping food on the table, which didn't always leave extra money for stamps and envelopes to write letters. "Phone calls and regular visits were just as hard and expensive," Jay Jay explained. Upon coming home, Antoine and Jay Jay saw the opportunity to expand the foundation together and create a free app to help children stay connected with their incarcerated parents. Now, four years later, she just launched the second version of the Photo Patch app, which allows kids to upload photos and letters for their parents with even more ease. "It makes the overall experience easier and it makes it even more convenient for these children to be able to communicate with their parents," she said.
Jay Jay's success with coding and creating the Photo Patch app led her to jump at the opportunity to join her father with his next project, an online coding school called Unlock Academy. Jay Jay became the youth leader of the organization in 2018 and immediately began teaching young people the skills they need to succeed in an increasingly tech-focused world. "A lot of people who look like us want to get into tech, but don't have the resources," Jay Jay explained. "So, our goal is to help everybody enter the tech space in an easy, convenient, and affordable way." Jay Jay's dad offered to help her teach the youth classes, but she refused to let him. "I was very adamant about doing it on my own," she said.
Jay Jay's personal experiences have inspired her to pursue a career in tech, and now, she wants to help others do the same. She has dealt with the barriers that come with having a parent in prison, and she knows what it’s like to enter the world of STEM — a white male- dominated field — as a young woman of color. "Having that firsthand experience, it just touches my heart," she said. Now, Jay Jay wants to create opportunities for others by taking what she's learned and create solutions for those who come after her. She's so determined, that in a new documentary for HP's Generation Impact series, Jay Jay said her goal is to get 10,000 women of color into the tech world on her own. It is because all of this and more that Jay Jay is being honored as one of Seventeen's Voices of Change.
17: How did you initially get into coding?
Jay Jay Patton: I learned from my father. He learned to code while he was in prison and when he came home, he was always on his computer, working on something. So, when I was about 10, I thought it would be really cool to learn how to work him. He ended up teaching me to code and I fell in love with it.
17: What is the Photo Patch Foundation and how did it get started?
JJP: Photo Patch is our nonprofit organization. It helps children communicate with their parents in prison for free. We send letters and pictures and we also do events to uplift children who don't have a support system because their parents are in prison. Photo Patch was originally my dad's idea. It was really hard for us to communicate when he was in prison and there wasn't always a convenient way. So, he started Photo Patch. He learned how to code and came up with the concept and website for it. From there, we made it a nonprofit. Then, when I was 12, I made an app for it because I thought that would make it more convenient for kids.
17: You just recently re-released a new version of the app. How did that go?
JJP: It's really great. It just makes the overall experience easier and it makes it even more convenient for these children to be able to communicate with their parents. So far, everybody always loves it. They're very happy with the convenience of it and the ability for their kids to stay in touch and keep family bonds strong.
17: So what is what's next for Photo Patch? Do you have any plans?
JJP: We're trying to maybe do some more events but with COVID it has been pretty hectic. We love getting out there and being with the kids in order to try to help stop that intergenerational incarceration.
This one event we did was a pop-up in a marginalized area. We had games, snacks, and movies for the kids. We were able to hear about their experience using the app and talk to them about their parents. It gives them a safe space. We want to be a support system for them, even outside the app. So, we would like to do more events that allow us to be there for the kids.
17: What about Unlock Academy? How did that get started?
JJP: Unlock Academy is our online school where we teach people how to code, specifically we teach minorities how to code. My dad started that one as well. He wanted to give people who were interested in tech, but maybe didn't have the resources, the opportunity to learn how to code. Going to college to learn the skill is expensive and it takes a lot of time. A lot of people who look like us want to get into tech, but don't have the resources. So, our goal is to help everybody enter the tech space in an easy, convenient, and affordable way.
17: What has your involvement been like in Unlock Academy?
JJP: I am the youth leader at Unlock Academy, so I handle the kids. I show them how to make tech fun by teaching them things like how to build their own games. I like to show them that coding isn't necessarily this crazy alien language like it seems in the movies.
17: What has that experience been like for you? Has it been rewarding?
JJP: It's been really great. It's cool to be a mentor and coach. I get to teach these kids and they look up to me. I can pass on valuable skills that allow these kids to enter the tech space. It feels good to be the person who is teaching them.
I’ve learned a lot and I think it's really cool how kids learn and how they come together. Kids are super smart and they can often grasp things quicker than adults. We have this really big community and you just see everybody's so in tune with each other, even the kids are helping out with everybody.
17: What is your ultimate goal when it comes to coding?
JJP: I want to get to the point where I'm as good as my dad. I know a lot right now and I'm still learning, but every time I see him doing something, it just blows my mind. He's on a whole other level than me. That's where I want to be.
17: I saw that a few years ago, you told your dad that, eventually, you want his job at Photo Patch. Is that still true?
JJP: Yes, it definitely is. The foundation is so close to our hearts. Especially for me, because I know what it's like to deal with having a parent in prison and not being able to talk to them. And, overall, leading would be so amazing. I really love the work that we do and what it stands for. So being able to be the leader of that, it would be amazing.
17: What has it been like to enter into the world of tech as a woman of color, a notoriously underrepresented group in STEM?
JJP: It's been great because now, I can be somebody for other people of color and other girls and women to look up to. They may say, "if she can do it, then I can do it too." Like you said, there's not many of us in this space, so the more of us that get in there, the more we can inspire other girls. It's really exciting for me because I get to help bring other girls and people of color into this world with me.
17: HP recently featured you in a film and told your tech story. What was that experience like?
JJP: My work with HP has been amazing. We just released a film with them called Generation Impact: The Coder. We were working on it for about a year and the whole experience was so great. We got the whole crew to come out and everybody was so nice and really focused on the best way to bring out our story and highlight what is most important. It turned out great. And it's great to share our story and inspire other people to get into this business too.
17: What do you hope people take away from the film?
JJP: I really hope people get inspired and see that they can do anything. Anything is possible no matter who you are, just go for whatever you want to do. I'm only sixteen years old and I'm doing as much as I can in this world. So, I just want people to feel like they can too. Who you are and what you look like shouldn't stop you from being able to do whatever you want to do.
17: What advice do you have for other young people who might be interested in coding?
JJP: I always just say, go for it. Don't let anybody bring you down or say you can't do something. And if you need someone to look up to, there are a lot of people out here. Personally, I'm willing to be anybody's mentor and help them if they want to get into the world of tech. In general, though, move forward, always try news things out, and don't let people discourage you.
17: What does being a Voice of Change mean to you?
JJP: It just sounds so exciting. It's surreal that I'm able to be a voice for the people. It's really mind blowing that any of this is happening in the first place and that I'm able to be called a Voice of Change and able to speak for something different and something new in our world. I feel so honored.
Parts of this interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
If you want to help Jay Jay and Antoine, consider donating to Photo Patch. According to Jay Jay, "$5 can help two kids send letters and photos to their incarcerated parents."
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