For me, as a woman in one of the less diverse fields - electrical engineering, which is what I studied in college - it was hard to persist and really build a career. Some of the things I experienced were really scary, and they weren't experiences that I wanted for my daughter.
One of the biggest lessons that we hope to model for several folks, including some of the young women of color who come to me, is the value of understanding your worth, standing up, and demanding the best for yourself and not taking less.
I loved school, was an exceptional student, and found a passion for math and science that led me to Vanderbilt University, where I discovered the world of electrical engineering. I did well in college, loved the work I was doing, and soon found myself climbing the corporate ladder after graduation. I was one of the lucky ones.
You cannot possibly be reaching the needs of your consumers when the makeup of your company is not reflective of the community you serve.
Girls are almost always socialized to be perfect: 'Smile, do well in school, don't take too many risks.'
I do believe that most startups who develop applications and digital products design 'towards the middle.' By this, I mean they design their products to reach the broadest consumer base possible, which is a sound strategy in some respects.
I think that if companies build for diversity from the beginning from the ground up, that's definitely the ideal state for how to build diversity into your company.
I hope to literally change the world with Black Girls Code by changing the paradigm which produces the current monolithic ecosystem in technology.
We like to say we hope to be like the Girl Scouts of technology, having many different chapters in many different states as well as many different countries.
I grew up in a close-knit community where I was expected to excel, and it was a different experience when I got to the university. There were very few students of color, and those numbers were extremely low in the school of engineering.
It's always been my dream to be an attorney, and I'm that weird breed of human being that loves being in a courtroom.
Our camps and workshops offer a space where girls of color can learn computer science and coding principles alongside their peers, with mentorship from female role models who have established themselves in tech fields where women, and minority women in particular, tend to be underrepresented.
Technology is a ubiquitous part of our everyday lives, and the accompanying geeky lexicon has infiltrated every facet of our modern day society.
When I started Black Girls Code in 2011, there weren't any programs that had a foundation in communities of color to teach our kids about technology.
We understand bringing girls into the tech space is about giving them skills to create social impact and change in their community.
If I understood the great opportunities that are available to women and underrepresented minorities in the field of tech I would have made the transition from traditional engineering to the technology field much earlier in my career.