Nearly 60 percent of 2015 bachelor's degree recipients were women, yet fewer than 20 percent of computer and information sciences degree recipients were women.
PROMPT 7 How important are visible and accessible role models to young girls in tech? Otto: Having programs like Girl Develop It and uCodeGirl working together— uCodeGirl getting younger girls involved and Girl Develop It teaching adult women—is tremendous, and it's happening in many other cities as well. Gronneberg: It’s so important that we have accessible women we can approach. When we started uCodeGirl, it was important to not just have a summer camp or after-school program. We also wanted to support them by creating a year-long STEM mentorship program and find area women in STEM—female tech leaders, women professors in math and science, etc. And we already have close to 30 women who have said "yes." Combining the young girls with these women who can not only give them skills but also share how they got to where they are and their experiences really helps build that community for the girls. And then, when the girls graduate, they can be mentors and the next
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generation can see themselves in that ecosystem. Gray: Yeah, it's great to not only give them that mentorship while they are kids but then also have a community to support them when they actually get out there and on the job is really important. Christensen: I was surrounded by awesome people who pushed me, and I think that everyone needs that. Not everyone gets that. I was fortunate to have a brother who reminded me, "You don’t need to do what your friends are doing. Do what you want to do. Go and learn this. You can do it." Gronneberg: Especially when you don’t yet believe in yourself, it just takes someone to say, "I see you have the talent. You are good." Gray: And you really only need that one person. It’s just like if someone believes in you, it makes a difference. Otto: And that's not just valuable at a young age, either. You need that as an adult, too. Wiedman: I was just going to say that I don’t know where I would be or if I would have started a Girl Develop It chapter if it hadn’t been for Megan. I probably wouldn’t have done it if I hadn’t had someone else pushing me to. I didn’t even know how to code at that point. I didn’t know anything. I was just like, “I want to do this!”