A new computer science club has started up at Los Medanos College. Together, students will be working together to learn how to code, create phone apps, design websites and build their portfolios.

During their first meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 14, the members spent the time introducing themselves and downloading “Python,” a high-level programming language.

Jeffrey Kim found out about the club through the promotion its members did in his math class.

“I just want to hang out with people who program and have some fun,” said student John Chin-Jew. “I’ve always programmed alone, so I want to see what it’s like to program with other people.”

Kim and Chin-Jew along with fellow member JJ Shergill also joined because of their interest in video game design.

In addition to learning about coding, the group plans on taking trips to coding conventions, such as hackathons. A hackathon is a collaborative project among computer programmers that can last 24-hours or longer.

Computer science club founder and President Jose Gonzalez started the club after attending a hackathon event in Santa Cruz.

“I saw the community of coders that went [to the event] … so I thought if they’re doing it, why can’t we?” said Gonzalez. “I feel intimidated sometimes, so I feel if we went as a group, then it wouldn’t feel as bad since we’d be going with familiar faces.”

Gonzalez said that his love for technology began when his parents bought him his first computer when he was about 12, and ever since then, he’s hooked.

“I like teaching myself new things … coding is something I’ve been curious about since a young age. Everyday after school I would just come home and I would hop on the computer and see what I could do, see how it worked and I started … seeing how a computer was created,” said Gonzalez.

Gonzalez admitted that his motivation for the club partly stemmed from his tendency to procrastinate. He felt that if he brought a community people interested in computer science together, then it would inspire them to create something together.

“It’s really good to be part of a community like this,” said student Wenzel Lowe. “The world is getting really technologically advanced and a club like this is really good for people who want to involve themselves in coding.”

Students can sign-up online at losmedanoscsc.wufoo.com/forms/z1jph71r0p7id0g.

Club meetings are held Wednesdays from 4 to 6 p.m. Room location is to be determined at the next gathering, which will be held at the MESA Center in SC2-202.

For additional information or if you have any questions about the club, contact [email protected].