Meet Jennifer Langley | Code Ninjas Area Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jennifer Langley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jennifer, what principle do you value most?
A core principle I live by is to approach people with curiosity. I have worked with children for a decade now, so witnessing the explorative approach is no foreign concept to me; however, I feel as though many adults unnecessarily miss this experience. Too often we slow the curious side of our minds as we focus on the logistics of adulthood, and I believe this negatively impacts our relationships inside and outside of business.

Whether it is a family member, spouse, or client, it is dangerous to make preconceived notions, assumptions, and conclusions about individuals. It deteriorates the opportunity for the individual to teach you about themselves and limits your knowledge of this person’s personality, desires, needs, etc. At Code Ninjas, we approach every first-time visiting family with open arms and open ears to learn how our facility can cater to the unique needs of the family. I have met thousands of children over the past four years and it never grows tiring to curiously approach them. Yes, many families visit the center thinking their child will enjoy coding, but there are so many layers below worth discovering. Some children come in needing to feel a connection with others, some have a gaming addiction and need to channel their interest more productively, some children can’t seem to find a sport they enjoy so they’re looking for more intellectual activities, and some children have a big dream of developing their own video game and are ready to start the process. Aside from coding skills, I have had the pleasure to witness children develop in several unique areas such as persistence, problem solving, interpersonal skills, self-confidence, and communication skills. I’ve witnessed children coming in for their first session hiding behind their parent, then a month later running into the center and chatting away! If I approached the families at Code Ninjas with the assumption that they simply want a high quality coding education and that’s it, I would miss out tremendously on discovering the possibilities to serve the unique needs of the family, and in return gather testimonies of the power of a positive, curious, learning environment.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
For most of my career I worked with children in educational settings as a teacher myself. During the year 2o2o, we transitioned to teaching online and although I loved teaching, the dramatic change in setting prompted thought in exploring other work opportunities in child development. I found Code Ninjas and was stunned that children as young as five years old were learning coding logic. It piqued my curiosity, and I inquired about their assistant director role. I was hired under a mentor named Jill Foster who taught me some fundamentals of business management. Only five months into my role, I was under new management and was promoted to director. With only five months of business management experience and without Jill, it was me, myself and google.com left to figure out how to develop the Code Ninjas Suwanee branch. With my prior understanding of children and classrooms, research on marketing, and input from the business owners, the Suwanee branch nearly tripled enrollment within 2021. My role escalated to Area Director in 2022 when we acquired a second center in Hamilton Mill. Growing two businesses in a challenging economic time has taught me psychological resilience, creative adaptation, and the importance of interpersonal connection. I am grateful for each family who has visited and enrolled at Code Ninjas. Simply meeting and connecting with families is by far my favorite and most rewarding aspect of my job. We have served and remain connected to thousands of families in Gwinnett County over the past four years and we look forward to continuing to provide world class coding education for many years to come.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Some places I would be certain to take my friend would be Tchin Tchin coffee for a cappucino, Mulberry Park for a hike, Off the Rails Mexican Cantina or Tacos N Todo and Lake Lanier lower overlook for a sunset.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I am grateful for the abundance of parenting and educator resources developed by the Love and Logic Institute developed by Jim Faye and Foster W. Cline, M.D. This institute has taught me how to effectively approach children, parents and employees in my work setting, as well as relationships in my personal life. Some core values I absorbed are prioritizing empathy, approaching issues with curiosity, nurturing boundaries on both sides, and collaborating amidst hardship.

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