CENTERING
CONNECTION
ANNUAL REPORT 2023
CENTERING
For Girls Who Code, 2023 was about returning to our roots while also preparing for immense changes in the tech landscape and continued evolution within our own organization.
We intensified our commitment to our core value of sisterhood at a time when our students were seeking more opportunities to be in community with each other. We hosted our first large-scale event since the pandemic, CodeFair, a signature campaign that not only defined our 10th anniversary milestone, but also brought together thousands of students and propelled us into the next decade with unprecedented enthusiasm and renewed sense of purpose.
We introduced our Industry Immersion Days to allow high school students in our now all-virtual Summer Programs to meet in person for the first time, so they can truly experience how vast, diverse, and powerful our community can be. We convened our first ever Alumni Advisory Council, a cohort of 25 college and career-aged alumni ready to lend their expertise and life experience to help shape future Girls Who Code programming, ensuring we continue to center and serve our students.
We did all of this while continuing to pour resources and energy into our vast programs, which serve students from 3rd grade all the way to early career, from New York to Texas to California. By the end of 2023, we have officially served 670,000 students, of which 218,000 are college or career-aged alumni.
Among alumni whom we have tracked into the workforce, more than half are working in tech-related jobs. Given that 50% of our students come from historically underrepresented groups, we were intentional about keeping our programming flexible and accessible to people of all backgrounds.
In response to the growing prominence of artificial intelligence and the resulting shift in how people are thinking about tech careers, we added data science tracks to our Summer Programs and implemented AI challenges for middle, high school, and college students.
None of our work would be possible without our students. Their strength, passion, and insight are the foundation of everything we do, and we worked in 2023 to strengthen that foundation, knowing that it will only help our organization grow and thrive in this new phase of tech advancement.
They’re the reason I’m so proud to be the CEO of Girls Who Code, and why I’m excited to embark on yet another year of learning, listening, and providing members of our community with the tools they need to succeed.
With love,
Tarika Barrett
Girls Who Code is on track to achieve gender parity in new, entry-level tech jobs by 2030.
Our programs are building the pipeline of future technologists, serving
girls, women, and nonbinary individuals globally.
In 2023, there were
Girls Who Code alumni who were college-aged or post-college aged.
Girls Who Code alumni are earning computer science and related degrees at
the national average.
of the students served by Girls Who Code are from historicaly underrepresented groups in tech, including Black, Latinx, and low-income individuals.
Our marketing efforts continued to spark culture change, generating
engagements globally via books, campaigns, and social media.
Girls Who Code has served 670,000 girls, women and nonbinary individuals. Our Clubs and Summer Programs are sparking an early interest in computer science, and our College Loops, Work Prep, Leadership Academy, Technical Interview Prep, Mentoring Corps, and Hiring Summits are ensuring that older students have access to opportunities that help convert their interest in tech into a thriving career in the field. By offering more virtual options, we’re reaching more students than ever before, while continuing to ground our programming in our core values of sisterhood and community.
Our programs continue to grow and serve students all along the computer science pipeline.
| 2012: 20 | 2016: 30,900 | 2020: 400,000 |
| 2013: 772 | 2017: 90,000 | 2021: 500,000 |
| 2014: 4,150 | 2018: 185,000 | 2022: 580,000 |
| 2015: 13,300 | 2019: 300,000 | 2023: 670,000 |
2023 was our second largest year of Clubs ever, with over 6,000 programs operating in all 50 states. In an effort to introduce our youngest students to emerging technologies, we implemented the Humanize AI Challenge for 6th through 12th grade members. The challenge asked students to create a project exploring how AI can be used for good in their communities.
In 2023, we served 8,500 students through our Summer Programs, marking our biggest year yet. Our 2-week Summer Immersion Program introduced a Game Design track, while our Self-Paced Program launched a new Data Science track. Both programs offered students insight into real-world applications of fundamental skills, as well as into the diversity of careers in tech.
ZION J.
SIMONA F.
The majority of Clubs and Summer Program students make gains on outcomes associated with persistence in computer science.
In 2023, we piloted three Industry Immersion Day events, giving our virtual Summer Program students the opportunity to meet in person, build community, network with industry professionals, and explore tech careers. Supported by partners including JPMorgan Chase, KPMG, RTX, Software.org, The BSA Foundation, Bank of America, and DTCC, these events enabled high school students to engage with like-minded peers and inspired them to continue pursuing careers in computer science.
Our College Loops program served over 5,000 students on campuses across the country — from local colleges to large state universities — and provided the resources necessary to persist through their degrees. We introduced the AI4FinancialGood Challenge, which asked students to create a project that explores how AI can be used to help people with their financial needs.
In 2023, participation in Work Prep increased by 160%, with over 90% of students reporting that the program increased their confidence in applying to technical roles and inspired them to pursue a career in technology. Our partners, including Accenture, Pluralsight, Bank of America, Danaher and Citi Foundation, worked directly with college-aged students to introduce them to career pathways in technology, connect them with mentors, and develop their networking skills.
We hosted two Hiring Summits in 2023, including one focused exclusively on early-career opportunities. Over 3,300 job seekers were able to connect with 40 hiring partners to discuss internship and entry-level jobs. We also introduced seven summit-adjacent workshops to support our students, covering topics like “The Art of the Follow Up” and “How to Ace a Phone Screen.”
Participation in the second year of Leadership Academy, in partnership with RTX, increased by 40%. Students spent four months with advisors building technical and professional skills, and developed a technology-based Give Back project focused on creating more equitable conditions in the tech industry.
In 2023, we ran five two-day Technical Interview Prep Bootcamps, serving almost 200 people, sponsored by Autodesk, U.S. Bank, Deloitte, Duck Creek, and athenahealth. Technical interviews are one of the challenges most frequently mentioned by Girls Who Code job seekers. Each Bootcamp is aimed at providing real-world technical interview prompts, allowing them to receive live feedback from corporate volunteers, build skills, and gain confidence.
Mentoring Corps, Girls Who Code’s newest program, was developed in partnership with MetLife Foundation and is focused on harnessing the power of near-peer mentoring relationships to help students persist through their tech journey. Mentoring Corps matches high school-aged Clubs with nearby College Loops to explore coding projects, college life, and tech careers. College students, in turn, develop their leadership skills and receive targeted training and job readiness. In 2023, we reached over 150 college students and 300 Club students in New York City, Atlanta, Chicago, and Washington D.C.
In 2023, we launched our inaugural Alumni Advisory Council, a cohort of 25 Girls Who Code alumni, in an effort to continue to center the student experience in all programs and initiatives. This diverse group of students and young professionals offer varying perspectives on issues facing computer science students, the process of finding internships and jobs, and life in the workforce. Their insights have helped shape and improve Girls Who Code programming, ensuring that it continues to align with the evolving needs of our students in a fast-changing tech landscape.
This project created an Asexual ChatBot and a Trans & Non-Binary ChatBot to help people learn more about the LGBTQ+ community.
Emrys J.
The goal of this project was to empower women with essential financial literacy skills through the development of a mobile application prototype design, fostering confidence, independence, and informed decision-making.
Angel Y.
This project produced a prototype of an app that provides resources and opportunities for Hispanic and Latino adults in New York who wish to gain insight into various industries and careers that they may be interested in. Additionally, users would be able to engage in a community feed, message boards, and professional development.
Kayla R.
This project is an interactive game designed to educate and raise awareness about phishing threats.
A'Yanna R.
We celebrated the return to in-person events with CodeFair, a three-day immersive tech experience in New York City that drew more than 3,000 diverse students from all over the country and from across our pipeline. CodeFair marked the biggest and boldest in-person event and campaign in Girls Who Code’s history, a joyful celebration of the sisterhood we continue to foster and learn from.
Launched in December 2023, GirlJams.ai was an interactive digital songwriting experience that allowed students to learn the basics of AI by writing, creating art for, and producing a hit single that was just for them, while generating prompts and refined text-based queries for better results. We knew the importance of making AI accessible and fun for students. By leveraging something they already loved — their favorite music — we empowered young people to proactively develop their skills in this game-changing emerging technology.
At Girls Who Code, we know we’re not just working to close the gender gap in one of the most powerful industries in the world. We’re also preparing our students for the jobs of tomorrow and teaching them to be nimble in the face of constant change.
Since our founding in 2012, we have fought to ensure that our students aren’t left behind, but instead have access to new skills that will prepare them for whatever challenges come their way.
As the tech industry undergoes tremendous transformation, we understand that our organization must do the same.
Looking to the future, girls who code is launching a 5-year strategic plan with a new goal of reaching 5 million girls, women and nonbinary students over the next five years, with a focus on enabling access to ai and other emerging technologies.
We’re making this a priority because we believe the promise of AI depends not only on what technologies are developed, but who is developing them — and the Girls Who Code community is well positioned to take the lead.
Our members represent some of the brightest, boldest, and most diverse future technologists. Their voices will help ensure that technology is developed to both meet society’s needs and help solve the world's most intractable problems.
By empowering our students with the skills and opportunities they need to succeed, we are shaping a brighter future for hundreds of thousands of young people, as well as a better world for us all.
Let us continue to inspire, educate, and uplift the next generation of leaders, in tech and beyond.
Our collaboration with Girls Who Code isn't just about empowering girls, it's about enriching industries with diverse perspectives that fuel innovation and progress. This partnership represents an investment in transforming talent pipelines to ensure that workforces reflect the communities they serve and contribute to sustainable growth. By bringing more focus to the intersection of technology and diversity, we're catalyzing an evolution in the tech landscape, paving the way for a future where more people benefit from technology's transformative power.
UScellular is proud to support the girls who participate in the Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program. This program is a powerful way for girls to build foundational coding knowledge and grow collaboration skills for their future careers in tech.
At Pluralsight, we believe that technology opens doors to opportunity, which is why we're honored to support Girls Who Code through our social impact arm, Pluralsight One. By supporting Girls Who Code's students, we aim to equip the next generation of women with the skills to pursue fulfilling careers in tech. When brilliant minds from all backgrounds have pathways to develop their potential, we all benefit from their innovations and perspectives.
Technology’s growth is unstoppable, and I believe creativity is the key to keeping up. But to be truly creative, especially as an organization, you need a workforce with diversity of thought, including the voices of women. Girls Who Code continues to successfully excite young women about technology. These efforts arm teams around the world with the talent they need to fill long-time gaps, fix blind spots, and ignite that new, creative spark. Working with Girls Who Code allows us to further our efforts to bring more inclusivity to the future of technology.
Our collaboration with Girls Who Code isn't just about empowering girls, it's about enriching industries with diverse perspectives that fuel innovation and progress. This partnership represents an investment in transforming talent pipelines to ensure that workforces reflect the communities they serve and contribute to sustainable growth. By bringing more focus to the intersection of technology and diversity, we're catalyzing an evolution in the tech landscape, paving the way for a future where more people benefit from technology's transformative power.
