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Please Welcome Our Girls Who Code Class of 2019
June 24, 2019
Today, Software.org kicks off its annual Girls Who Code summer immersion program. Our class of 22 DC-area high school girls will spend the next seven weeks mastering coding languages like HTML, CSS, and Python to create websites and program apps. That classwork will give them an early and in-depth look at the range of professional opportunities available in software.
In addition to technical skills, we hope to help the students hone their personal skills as well. We’ll take them outside the classroom to meet with female leaders in tech and tech policy. We’ve planned a mentorship day to introduce them to a range of accomplished women who will share their experiences and advice on the path ahead.
This will be the fifth time we’ve partnered with Girls Who Code to sponsor the summer immersion program in DC because we support their mission of closing the gender gap in tech. In 2017, fewer than 1 in 5 computer science graduates and only 24 percent of computer scientists were women. In the meantime, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that at least 500,000 new computing jobs will be created by 2026. With the help of sponsors like Software.org and our supporting companies, Girls Who Code aims to increase the number of girls who choose to go into tech and fill those jobs.
The Girls Who Code summer immersion program is one of our favorite times of the year. We’re excited to see what great ideas the 2019 class will bring to the table and to watch their incredible progress over the next seven weeks. You can join our journey by tracking the class’s progress at software.org/girlswhocode.
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Chris Hopfensperger
Executive Director, Software.org
As the founding executive director of Software.org, Chris Hopfensperger leads the foundation’s efforts to help policymakers and the general public better understand the impact that software has on our lives, our economy, and our society. He also helps translate the foundation’s philanthropic and forward-looking agenda into efforts to address key issues facing the software industry.