2014 was a year of explosive growth at Girls Who Code. Today, we are proud to say we're not just aiming to close the gender gap in technology — we're actually doing it.

Thanks to the support of our partners, the dedication of our teachers, staff, and volunteers, and most importantly, the passion of the girls we serve, we have become the leading organization in the country providing computer science education to young women and producing female technologists.

We've grown a lot, and we've also learned a lot. By expanding our Girls Who Code Clubs program to reach more than 2,000 girls in 24 states across the country, we learned that it's possible — and essential — to deliver high quality computer science education at scale. Through our Summer Immersion Program, we found that when you challenge a girl to build a functional product in less than 2 weeks, she just might build a mobile game that combats sexism and breaks down gender stereotypes. We have discovered that Fortune 500 companies from every sector of the economy — from entertainment to real estate to ad tech — can work together to solve a problem that affects us all.

We learned that we have to keep growing. We are reminded every day that creating gender parity in technology is critical to the future of innovation. Your support in 2014 brought us one giant step closer, and it is my pledge that we will not stop here.

Reshma Saujani, Founder and CEO, Girls Who Code

Mission

Girls Who Code programs work to inspire, educate, and equip girls with the computing skills to pursue 21st century opportunities.

Inspire

In 1984, 37% of all computer science graduates were women,

but today that number is just 18%. 20% of AP Computer Science test-takers are female, and 0.4% of high school girls express interest in majoring in computer science. What's going on?

Girls Who Code believes to close the gender gap in technology, we have to inspire girls to pursue computer science by exposing them to real life and on screen role models.

Inspiring Girls Who Code

We teamed up with CoverGirl on an ad featuring our students to show that #GirlsCan be creators of technology. It aired on network television and received more than two million YouTube views.

Girls Who Code, Verizon, and the Paley Center for Media convened girls, celebrities, television writers, and historians for a panel event in December 2014 called Cracking the Code: Media Portrayals of Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.

We joined Mindy Kaling, Chelsea Clinton, and community partners from around New York City for the July 2014 launch of Google's Made With Code, where girls got a chance to try 3D printing, dance to Icona Pop, and meet women in technology.

Isn't it time we told her she was pretty brilliant too? Reshma provided the voiceover on this powerful Verizon PSA in partnership with MAKERS, encouraging parents to send more positive messages to girls about STEM.

Educate

Summer Immersion Program

Girls Who Code's Summer Immersion Program is a seven-week intensive computer science course that embeds classrooms in technology companies and universities. Girls get hands-on experience in computing concepts, from robotics to mobile app development, while gaining exposure to the tech industry and receiving valuable mentorship from women working in computer science.

Since beginning in 2012, Girls Who Code has served 3331 girls in 24 states.

Summer Immersion Program

2012

20

2013

152

2014

375

Clubs Program

2012

0

2013

600

2014

2184

“Girls Who Code was the ideal teaching experience.

My students loved the curriculum and were motivated to learn. It was exciting to watch them grow, and we continue to stay in touch. Girls Who Code was not just a transformative experience for my students, but for me as well.”

— Jeff Stern, PhD student, University of Michigan School of Information and Intuit 2014 Teacher

 

“As cliché as this may sound, the girls taught me far more than I could hope to teach them.”

— Freia Lobo, Square 2014 Teaching Assistant

Read more about Freia's experience with Girls Who Code

In 2014, Girls Who Code held events with tech industry leaders.

Our girls built a strong skill set — from programming languages to pitching products to engineers.

We recently asked the Summer Immersion Program alumnae about their experience and their answers were resounding.

100%

100% of alumnae are majoring or plan to major in computer science or mechanical or electrical engineering. All alumnae pursuing computer science in college named Girls Who Code as a major factor in their decision to do so.

90%

90% of alumnae computer science majors had a different or undecided educational path before Girls Who Code.

85%

85% of alumnae would recommend our Summer Immersion Program to another girl.

Here's what our alumnae had to say:

“I wouldn't have even considered majoring in computer science without Girls Who Code inspiring me.”

“I don't think I would be attending MIT — or even would have applied — without Girls Who Code.”

“I wouldn't know what I would be doing with my life without Girls Who Code. It honestly changed my future.”

Hear from the parents of a Summer Immersion Program participant:

“The Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program provided our daughter with an unimaginable opportunity. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. The Girls Who Code experience has really helped our daughter Eva feel better about herself as a young woman and more hopeful about her future.

She is now pursuing her interests in neuroscience, computer science and behavioral psychology. With the full support of Girls Who Code, Eva has turned her eight-week experience into her own Girls Who Code Club at her school — 'Digital Divas' — where she can introduce other young women to computer science.”

— Constance and Douglas

Girls Who Code Clubs Program

The Girls Who Code Clubs Program is a uniquely scalable program bringing high-quality computer science education to girls in grades 6-12 nationwide. Clubs meet after school and on weekends throughout the year in classrooms, libraries, community centers, and local universities. Employing a flexible and proven curriculum, we equip girls with concrete technical skills that provide the foundation for a future in technology.

“The Girls Who Code Clubs Program has given me the chance to teach passionate, driven girls who share a love for applying coding to interdisciplinary fields.

The experience — a whirlwind that alters between exhausting and exhilarating — has given me a huge sense of appreciation for the work our public school teachers do. Above all, it has been a reminder that there are innumerable opportunities to grow, learn, and effect positive change through computer science.”

— Anita Mehrotra, Data Scientist at Buzzfeed and Girls Who Code Club Instructor

Where are Girls Who Code Clubs?

In 2014, Girls Who Code Clubs expanded to 24 states.

The Girls Who Code Clubs Program enabled thousands of girls nationwide to learn computer science.

Equip

Empowering girls with the skills to succeed

Our programs empower girls to pursue majors and careers in computer science — leading them to study computer science at top universities, secure paid technical internships, and even launch fully functional products.

Here's what our alumnae had to say:

Joelle grew up in Queens, New York, with a strong interest in both the arts and STEM subjects. She came to Girls Who Code without any experience in coding, but now credits the Summer Immersion Program for her success in the field. Joelle is currently a first-year computer science major and theater minor at Brandeis, where she is a prestigious Science Posse Scholar.

“There are so few women — and even fewer women of my background — in engineering,” she told Brandeis NOW. “Meeting developers of color was empowering, and you need empowerment moments to get you through the long, hard process of becoming a computer scientist.”

— Joelle Robinson: Girls Who Code, '13 IAC alum

Helen came to Girls Who Code with no background in computer science. Passionate about solving world hunger, she had always intended to study international development. Girls Who Code showed her that however you want to change the world, technology can help. After founding a Girls Who Code Club at her high school in Staten Island, Helen went on to study computer science at Brown University.

“Girls Who Code definitely provided me with the stamina to keep at the work even when I feel like I'm not doing well and when I'm struggling. As I expected, the computer science classes at Brown are really hard, and I often don't get everything on the first try. However, seeing people that continued through the hardships encourages me to stick through my own hardships and get to a place where I can call myself successful. All that courage comes from my experiences at Girls Who Code.”

— Helen Denisenko: Girls Who Code, '13 Goldman Sachs alum

Our alumnae are majoring in computer science at these colleges and universities:

Brandeis University

Brown University

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

Harvard University

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Pennsylvania State University

Princeton University

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Stanford University

University of California, Berkeley

University of California, San Diego

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

University of Southern California

University of Wisconsin, Madison

Internships

Girls Who Code alumnae are prepared for paid technical internships from the moment they graduate. Alumnae have gone on to intern at financial institutions, VCs, startups, and even at our partner companies!

Hear from two of our internship alumnae:

Keyue graduated from the Summer Immersion Program in 2013 and went on to co-found the Brooklyn Tech Girls Who Code Club with a group of friends. Last summer she nabbed an internship at Social Good Guides, a NYC-based start-up, and this summer she's on her way to Microsoft in Redmond, Washington, where she'll work with the data experiences team.

“Girls Who Code gave me the experience I always wanted but never got elsewhere.

Through connections I made during the eBay Summer Immersion Program class of 2013 of Girls Who Code I landed an intership at a16z, a venture tech company. I get experience tracking projects at the firm and help with financial metrics and market mapping. I love working here, the partners are all so brilliant and have such incredible experience to share.

Next year, I am traveling and working at different tech startups and early stage funds. After that I am deeply considering joining MakeSchool, a 2 year program in San Francisco to learn additional programming skills.”

— Alexis Grubman: Girls Who Code, '13 eBay Alum; Intern, Sequoia Capital

Tampon Run: Equipping girls with entrepreneurial skills

Girls Who Code programs don't just teach computer science, they also empower girls by building the abilities and confidence they need to become entrepreneurs.

Andrea Gonzalez and Sophie Houser met at Girls Who Code's 2014 Summer Immersion Program at IAC, where they teamed up to build a feminist video game: Tampon Run. The now-viral game replaces automatic weapons with tampons, aiming to raise awareness of taboos around menstruation and challenge the prevalence of guns in our society. After the program, they worked with Pivotal Labs to launch a mobile version of the game that can be downloaded in the App Store. They've been featured everywhere from Fast Company to Cosmopolitan, and Teen Vogue celebrated them on their list of 10 Teens Who Changed the World This Year!

Col[lab] with Cambio

Last summer, five Girls Who Code alumnae secured paid technical internships at AOL's teen website Cambio. In just six weeks, they put what they learned at Girls Who Code into practice, completely reimagining the site as #BuiltByGirls, building an inspirational meme generator, and creating Cambio's all new Col[lab], inviting girls everywhere to submit content.

2014 was a year of expansive growth for Girls Who Code. Meet some of the key hires who made it possible:

Solomon Steplight

Solomon is the COO/CFO of Girls Who Code. An entrepreneur with a passion for democratizing access to high quality education, he is also the Founder of Prepfoleo, and recently served in senior leadership roles at Management Leadership for Tomorrow, Examville.com and the City of Hoboken, New Jersey. He holds a BSE and an MSE in mechanical engineering with a focus on robotics from the University of Pennsylvania.

Susan Nesbitt

Susan joins Girls Who Code as Director of Partnerships and Development from years of working in the nonprofit sector at Craigslist Foundation and prior to that as a product manager in Silicon Valley. She brings a passion for empowering girls in technology and is known at Girls Who Code for her warmth and enthusiasm.

Emily Reid

Emily has come aboard as Curriculum Director at Girls Who Code, ensuring that our programs are unrivaled in delivering quality CS education. She worked as a cyber security engineer for the MITRE Corporation, and holds an MS in computer science from Columbia University and a BS in mathematics with a minor in computer science from Tufts University.

See below for a full list of Girls Who Code staff.

2014 Staff

Carolina Huaranca
Director of Inclusion

Casi Schwisow
Seattle Program Manager

Clayvi Brown
Senior Clubs Program Manager

Dana Ledyard
Managing Director

Dayna Hine
Operations Manager

Elizabeth Caudle
East Coast Regional Director

Emily Reid
Curriculum Director

Emily Smith
Interim Clubs Director

Esther Fensel
San Francisco Bay Area Program Manager

Jessica Dorsi
Executive Assistant

Karolina Kumiega
Clubs Operations Manager

Loraya Harrington
Clubs Program Manager

Meg Tobin
New York City Program Manager

Nancy Bright
Central Regional Director

Natalie Bonifede
Summer Immersion Director

Nora Goldfield
Operations Coordinator

Salleha Chaudhry
West Coast Regional Director

Solomon Steplight
COO/CFO

Susan Nesbitt
Director of Partnerships and Development

New 2015 Staff

Angelica Medina
Miami Program Manager

Dejanelle Peterkin
New York City Program Manager

Delana Colvin
Chicago Program Manager

Emmeline Cardozo
Washington, D.C., Program Manager

Helen Knight
Development Associate

Liz Garcia
San Francisco Bay Area Program Manager

Lucy McLoughlin
New York City Program Manager

Madalyn Lee
East Coast Operations Coordinator

Yasmine Laurent
Boston Program Manager

Fundraising

With the right partners, anything is possible

Girls Who Code is proud to have earned support in 2014 from 35 corporations, 11 foundations, and individuals around the world. These partners provide integral funding to our Summer Immersion Program, Girls Who Code Clubs Program, and our organization as a whole, as well as through creative partnerships like Samsung’s Mobile App Challenge.

The 2014 Girls Who Code Gala honored our founding partner, AT&T.

The evening brought together partners, friends, and alumnae of Girls Who Code in New York City to celebrate our work and honor AT&T.

is only possible thanks to our partners.

2014 Summer Immersion Program Partners

2014 Clubs Program Partners

2014 Supporters

2014 Friends

Nathan Bruckner

Jane Chwick

Ron Conway

Jack Dorsey

Sarah Filman

Beth Kobliner and David Shaw

Alexis Maybank

Craig Newmark

Nancy Ream Rose

MikeLynn Salthouse

Gordon Smith

Fred Wilson

Financials

Girls Who Code raised $7,711,006 in 2014.

Having raised $1,164,502 in 2013, this represents major growth. We spent only two cents to raise each dollar.

Here is how our resources were spent in 2014:

Here is how our operations resources were allocated:

Here's how we've grown since 2013:

Vision for 2015

You've heard us say it before. Girls Who Code is more than a program; it's a movement. We've spent 2014 building the team, infrastructure, and partnerships needed to make 2015 a historic year not just for our organization, but for the economy at large.

By the end of 2015, Girls Who Code will have empowered 10,000 girls in all 50 states with our proven computer science education programming, building a pipeline of talent that will finally bring gender parity to the technology sector.