Marisa Laks

My CSTA Story

In 2021, Marisa decided to teach herself how to code. Enjoying the challenge, she decided to move from teaching math to teaching computer science. She joined CSTA later that year and completed a program at CUNY Hunter College for teachers who wanted to become certified computer science teachers. Since then, Marisa has been an active member in the CSTA NYC chapter and a 2023 – 2024 CSTA Equity Fellow.

My Story

Marisa Laks is a teacher and the school programmer at the High School for Environmental Studies, a public school in New York City. She has taught computer science for 4 years and has been teaching for 19 years overall. Marisa has a Masters in Secondary Mathematics Education, an Advanced Certificate in Computer Science Education, and will complete a Certificate of Advanced Study in School Building and District Leadership in June 2024. As the programmer in her school, she has been working to increase participation in computer science through expanding course offerings and holding school-wide events. This past summer, she helped facilitate computer science training for non-CS teachers around New York City.