LEAP C.O. · Founding chapter forming now

Computer Science

Ship code. Share it.

From your first Python script to your first pull request — the LEAP CS chapter gets you real projects, real mentors, and real users, then helps you give those skills back.

The four pillars

What members actually get.

Every LEAP chapter runs on the same four pillars — here's what they look like in Computer Science.

Senior student mentors

Older students in the chapter help younger members learn and get unstuck.

Professional mentors

Members work on connecting with software professionals for mentorship as the chapter grows.

Partner organizations

Club members are actively working to connect with outside organizations and mentors so every member can network and benefit.

Hackathons & Hour of Code

Team up for internal hackathons and Hour of Code sessions.

Build & show off projects

Make apps and projects, then demo them to the chapter.

Cybersecurity

Explore cybersecurity fundamentals through chapter-run sessions.

Engineering crossover

Work with the Engineering chapter on Arduino Uno builds.

Teach kids to code

Run intro coding sessions for younger students through LEAP Tutoring — hours logged and verified by fellow students.

Sites for nonprofits

Practice making and maintaining sites for local nonprofits.

Help your school with tech

Support your school's tech needs directly.

Help other students with CS

Help classmates with CS coursework so they can learn and get unstuck.

Chapter life

A year in the CS chapter.

The events and projects we're building the founding year around. (These illustration slots become real photos as soon as we host them — of you, maybe.)

Leadership

Founding officer roles — be the first to start it.

Chapters are student-run. Founding officers build this from day one, which is exactly the kind of leadership colleges and employers notice.

Role 01

Chapter President

Owns the vision, runs meetings, and represents the chapter to the school and to LEAP national.

Role 02

Onboarding Lead

Interviews and welcomes new members, and keeps the roster and member records clean.

Role 03

Events Coordinator

Plans networking events, tours, and competitions from idea to day-of logistics.

Role 04

Sponsorship Coordinator

Builds relationships with local firms and sponsors that fund events and open internship doors.

Role 05

Service Coordinator

Organizes volunteering projects and syncs member hours with LEAP Tutoring.

Role 06

Mentorship Coordinator

Recruits professional mentors and matches them with members through the year.

Chapter rhythm

What a semester actually looks like.

Set by the starter kit's first-semester calendar — every chapter runs the same basic cadence.

Weekly

A coding session, project work time, or peer code review — bring what you're building and get eyes on it.

Monthly

A build night or workshop — web dev, Python, or hackathon prep, depending on what the chapter's working toward.

Ongoing

Mentor pairing, work on member projects, and volunteer hours from tutoring younger students through LEAP Tutoring.

Joining

Three steps in.

Tell us you're in

Fill out the interest form below — takes under a minute.

Quick interview

A short, friendly conversation with the onboarding lead about what you want out of the chapter.

Start leaping

Get your member kit, pick your first event, and log your first volunteer hours.

FAQ

Questions we hear a lot.

Do I need experience to join?

No. The chapter exists to build your experience, not to gatekeep it. If you're curious about Computer Science, you're qualified.

How much does it cost?

Nothing. Every LEAP program is 100% free for students — that's the entire point of the organization.

How big is the time commitment?

Plan on one chapter meeting per week or two, plus the events and volunteering you opt into. Founding officers put in more — and get more out of it.

What if my school doesn't have this chapter yet?

Then you might be its founder. Head to LEAP Home and request the chapter starter kit.

Free Tools Directory

Free for students. Actually free.

Ten tools every CS student should claim — most require a .edu email or a GitHub account.

🐙

GitHub Student Pack

100+ free developer tools — domains, cloud credits, Copilot Pro, and IDEs. The most valuable bundle in existence for students.

🎨

Figma Education

Free Figma Professional for students and educators — unlimited projects, team collaboration, and Dev Mode.

📝

Notion Student

Free Notion Plus plan with your .edu email — unlimited blocks, pages, and databases for notes, projects, and portfolios.

☁️

AWS Educate

Free cloud computing credits plus structured learning paths covering EC2, S3, Lambda, and more.

🔷

JetBrains Student

Free IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, WebStorm, and every other JetBrains IDE — renewed annually as long as you're a student.

🌐

Replit

Free online IDE with instant hosting and multiplayer coding — no setup, runs in the browser, great for quick projects.

🧠

Google Colab

Free Jupyter notebooks with T4 GPU access in the cloud — perfect for ML experiments, data analysis, and Python practice.

🔑

Microsoft Azure for Students

$100 in Azure credits plus free access to 25+ services — no credit card required for students.

💻

DigitalOcean Student

$200 in cloud credits via the GitHub Student Pack — spin up droplets, databases, and Kubernetes clusters.

🚀

Vercel for Students

Free Pro hosting for frontend projects — deploy from GitHub in seconds, custom domains, analytics, and edge functions.

Open Source

Contribute to real projects.

Six beginner-friendly issues across popular repos. Your first PR is closer than you think.

freeCodeCamp
Fix typo in Python tutorial
BeginnerJavaScript
EddieHub Link Free
Add new link provider
BeginnerJavaScript
Docusaurus
Improve search results accessibility
IntermediateTypeScript
React
Add missing prop-types validation
IntermediateTypeScript
Homebrew
Update formula for popular CLI tool
BeginnerRuby
VS Code
Fix autocomplete edge case in TypeScript
AdvancedTypeScript
Founding members wanted

Be a founding member of the CS chapter.

The people who join first shape everything — the events, the culture, the opportunities. Put your name in.

Request to join →