Girls Code the Future: Kode with Klossy Workshop at Amazon
In a significant step towards bridging the gender gap in the tech industry, a free coding workshop hosted by Kode with Klossy brought over 40 young girls to Amazon in Seattle. The two-day introductory program provided participants, aged 13 to 18, with hands-on experience in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and web development.
This initiative is part of a larger effort to encourage young women to explore careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields, challenging prevailing stereotypes and fostering a more inclusive tech community.
Aditi, an instructor assistant and college freshman, reflected on her experience attending the camp in high school, noting the importance of such spaces: “We don’t really have as much representation and spaces where we get to explore our stem principles, so this is a really unique space for us to express our voices and ideas and, I think especially for young girls who might feel those stereotypes in high school or middle school, this is a way for them to break out of that.”
Osi Imeokparia, CEO of Kode with Klossy, emphasized the organization’s mission, stating the non-profit was founded to address the gender gap in the tech world. Imeokparia shared her personal journey, from a curious young person to a director of product for Google, which fuels her passion for the program. She hopes that the girls will walk away “feeling confident that they can do something hard, that this thing that everybody is talking about on the news in abstract form-AI everywhere-is really now something that they have tangible experience with.”
“At the end of the day, technology helps create opportunity and solve problems, and we think everybody should be part of that conversation,” – Osi Imeokparia, CEO of Kode with Klossy.
In its ten years, Kode with Klossy has reached 11,000 students, offering free programs to empower young women. A two-week summer coding camp is scheduled for July in Seattle, continuing the organization’s commitment to providing accessible tech education. The program is free, according to Imeokparia.
This report is based on original reporting from FOX 13 Seattle.
