Can Cities Hack Diversity?

Two summers ago, my son Justice, then 12 years old, took the stage at American University in Washington, D.C. to accept his diploma. No, he’s not a teen prodigy a la Mitch Taylor in Real Genius. He was at the university for a week-long summer program where kids could learn coding, robotics, and other tech skills. I enrolled him in a 3D game-design camp for Minecraft, a kind of digital Legos game that allows players to create buildings and cities. It’s one of his favorite games, and I approved, given that it feeds his aspirations to become an architect when he grows up.

He enjoyed the camp and was pretty bummed when it was over. At his graduation ceremony, a smile fought through his face as he held up his certificate. “Justice, some of the work you made this week was absolutely incredible and included concepts I had never seen from a student before,” his instructor said.