The Code That Equals Confidence

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Cameron Murray. Read his story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.

Cameron Murray was in first grade when a dual-immersion teacher rolled small robots into the classroom and taught the students to code. That spark never faded. Entering high school, Cameron turned it into CodAmigos, a nonprofit delivering free, bilingual computer science education to elementary and middle school students in underserved communities — many of whom have never had a computer of their own.

The approach is hands-on and joyful. Using grant-funded robots and donated laptops, students write simple block code and instantly watch their commands come to life as a robot spins or flashes a light. Since the first session in 2024, Cameron and a growing team of recruited high school instructors have reached over 100 students, running weekly sessions through the Torrance Unified School District.

What Cameron watches for is the moment confidence takes hold, like the once-reluctant student who quietly started following lessons on her own and became one of the most engaged coders in the room. To keep the program growing, Cameron built training protocols and a manual so other students can launch programs of their own. “I’ve learned that students work at different levels, and it’s important to meet students where they are,” Cameron says.

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Cameron? Find local volunteer opportunities.