After spending more than a decade working corporate jobs in several medical device companies, Rebeca Rodriguez knew it was time for a change. The busy mother of three wanted a better work-life balance.
After hours of research and exploring different opportunities, Rodriguez decided to start her own business. Code Wiz St. Johns, a franchise that offers coding and robotics classes for kids ages 7 to 17, opened this month in Fruit Cove. The business offers students programming skills along with invaluable approaches to critical thinking and problem-solving.
“We want to inspire a generation of kids to use their creativity to create new and positive things through STEAM,” she said, referring to the acronym for “science, technology, engineering, arts and math.” “We want kids to develop skills that will help them in the future while having a lot of fun doing so.”
With a focus on community needs (they want to build additional programming based on what members of the community are interested in), Rebeca and her husband, Eliud Rivera, and three sons, Marcos, Emil and Gabriel, have spent the past few months learning the ins and outs of coding and robotics as well as how to start a small business, including every obstacle and success that comes with the territory.
Code Wiz St. Johns officially opened its doors on July 11 with its first week of summer camp.
“The kids had a lot of fun building robots to accomplish different challenges that taught them how to use various elements of coding,” Rodriguez said. “They also designed their own 3D printing models. Some took up to 10 hours to print, but they came out great and the kids were super excited about their creations. I am always surprised with how quickly kids can pick things up and apply their learning and creativity to build amazing things.”
Code Wiz St. Johns, located at 530 SR 13, Unit 5, Fruit Cove, will host a grand opening on Saturday, Aug. 6, from 10 a.m. to noon. The event is open to the public and will feature interactive coding and robotics programming for kids, as well as games, raffles, giveaways and refreshments. A grand opening sale is currently going on with Founding Families being offered 31.4% off a lifetime membership.
The coding and robotics school offers summer camp, after-school programs, birthday parties and courses for Girl Scouts. For more information, go to thecodewiz.com/stjohns-fl, email stjohns@thecodewiz.com, or call 904-719-7490.
