The story behind Rex Programming
An Interview with the Owner, Sandhya Padala, of Rex Programming
Summary of business:
Rex Programming began with the simple idea that kids of all ages should be exposed to the wonders of computational thinking and engineering. After recently moving to Dallas from Milwaukee, my son came to me one day and requested that I enroll him in a computer programming course. I looked high and low for a way for a suitable learning environment for him. When I couldn’t find one, I immediately saw the need for an educational institution like Rex in the Dallas area. In the day and age that we live in, computers are all around - no matter what our profession might be or where we live. Knowing your way around a computer is as essential to our younger generations as reading and writing has been for as long as I can remember. For this purpose, we hope to get children interested in innovative courses that teach them how to create their own animations and games, make websites and even build robots. All in all, Rex strives to foster an enthusiasm for computational thinking and engineering.
What does your business offer that is unique compared to similar businesses?
The courses at Rex Programming are structured so that any child can start learning, regardless of any prior experience with the material. We have created a curriculum of classes that the students can take consecutively, in order to become proficient in each skill set. Moreover, our classes are laid out in a close student to teacher ratio (usually 7:1), which ensures that each individual student gets direct attention from the instructors, along with creating a close knit team environment among the peers. When it comes to our robotics classes, our children also have a choice to enroll in team-oriented competition classes, where they will be a part of the First Lego League (FLL) regional competitions. Rex is committed towards providing personal attention to each of our students and to bring them to their fullest potential.
What is the most important part of your job on a daily basis?
As the founder of the company, I take pride in being the driving force behind our day-to-day projects. I am entrusted with guiding our team, hiring and training the right employees. Along with that, I am constantly thinking up ways to market and promote Rex Programming.
What are your keys to success?
Trusting my journey, a commitment towards providing quality and valuable service
What surprises you most about your job?
There has been much research done to show that computational thinking and logical reasoning (i.e. computer programming and robotics) is a very critical skill set for the current and future generations of children - regardless of what career path their passions lead them towards. Despite that, I continue to be surprised that many parents are still not onboard teaching STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). However, the students that we have enrolled pick up on new topics at a tremendous pace. I hope that, by watching the progress and enthusiasm of their children, the parents will slowly but surely understand how vital such knowledge is.
Tell us something most people don’t know about your company.
I often get asked the story behind the name, Rex Programming. A quick search on Google will tell you that there is a programming language called Rexx. However, the reason I choose Rex is because the name means “king”, and we want each of our kids to feel like royalty every day!
