Student Spotlight: Part 1
Meet Nene: TonTech’s Self-Declared “Fabulous” Coder
“I want my website to look as fabulous as me”
We're kicking off a new series on the TonTech blog: Student Spotlights, where we sit down with kids in our program to hear — in their own words — what they're building, what's tripping them up, and what they're proud of. First up: Nene.
Nene is 10 years old, freshly into JSS1, and by her own account, “fabulous.” Here's what she had to say about her time learning Web Development with us so far:
So introduce yourself — who are you, what's your name, and how old are you?
“My name is Chikanene and I'm 10 years old. I just got into JSS1.”
What's something you're surprisingly good at that has nothing to do with this class?
“Surprisingly, I'm good at memorizing songs. I don't know why, it just happens on its own. Oh — and I also draw.”
Okay, so do we get to hear your playlist, or is it something personal to you?
“I like to keep the songs personal though.”
Fair enough. You also mentioned you draw?
“Yeah, I used to draw a lot. Not sure I'll have time for it going forward though.”
What website could you probably spend way too much time on without getting bored?
“Definitely YouTube. I like watching videos of my favorite games.”
Let me guess — is it Roblox?
“Yes, it's Roblox!”
What was the first tag that made you feel like “oh, I actually get this now”?
“I'd say the paragraph tag. It's my favorite.”
If a friend who's never coded asked you to explain one of the tags you've learned — which would you pick?
“Definitely not forms, I don't understand forms at all. I'd say lists. That's the only one I really understand.”
Nesting lists can trip people up at first — was there a moment it clicked for you, or did it feel confusing?
“No, the first time it was mentioned in class, I understood it.”
If you built a form right now, what would it be for?
“Something silly, probably. Actually, I want to build a recipe website for my favorite foods. I'd use images and a link, not a form. I still remember the tags for those.”
What's one tag you think is underrated?
“The comment tag. No one really sees it on the website. It's kind of like the background noise.”
If you could build a website for anyone — a celebrity, a game, your pet — who or what would it be?
“Actually, I want to build a website for my mom's business, or a website for games”
What's been the hardest part so far, and was there a moment you almost gave up?
“Forms. There was a forms assignment and I just gave up on it. I thought the instructor would probably forget I didn't do it. He didn't.”
What do you know now that you wish you knew on day one?
“How to create images and links.”
If you could build a website for anyone — a celebrity, a game, your pet — who or what would it be?
“Actually, I want to build a website for my mom's business, or a website for games.”
If you could make one internet rule for everyone, what would it be?
“It would definitely be to ban all hackers.”
What's Next
Do you think you'll keep coding after this program, or try something else too?
“I think I'll probably try something else as well. I've got swimming — I can already do the deep end, and I'm learning diving right now.”
What do you want to learn next?
“CSS. I want my website to look as fabulous as me, mostly colors, backgrounds, and images.”
What would you tell another kid who's nervous about starting?
“They should try their best to do good, and if something's hard, they should ask their teacher.”
Ten years old, and already juggling her passions in art, music, a recipe site she's already planning, and a swimming schedule she'll wake up early for — diving included. Coding is one more thing Nene is figuring out how she feels about, and for now, that means chasing down CSS so her site can look “as fabulous” as she is.
Nene is currently working through HTML fundamentals in TonTech's Web Development program, with CSS up next.
Want your child to start their own coding journey? Explore TonTech's programs — Web Development, Python, and Graphics Design — and find the right fit for your child.