Author’s note: In this article I wanted to show the impact that KWK has had and for that, not only did I use my personal experiences but my classmates’ as well. Because we all felt inspired and flourished in similar ways, I asked them three questions: 1. How would they like to be remembered 2. What made them who they are 3. Their Kode With Klossy experience.
Kode With Klossy is a free coding camp for girls ages 13-18 to learn the skills needed to create an app or website “in an inclusive and welcoming environment.” (Cady) The idea of starting this camp occurred to founder Karlie Kloss when she found herself being the only woman in her coding class.
The gender gap in the world of computer engineering among other areas is no secret. And the negative impacts of it can be seen in our day-to-day lives. From ripping away the confidence in women to believing they are not capable of pursuing a career in those fields, to causing major damages to women’s health due to lack of diversity in the brains behind products and services. A documentary we watched during Kode With Klossy revealed a study where they found out that airbags in cars had a higher chance of killing women than men. Researchers realized that all the airbag engineers had been men, who did not consider how the airbags’ impact could affect people who were different from them! Sounds like something obvious to do, right? Well, not always.
Not only does Kode With Klossy teaches girls how to code, it also teaches them how important it is to be in STEAM fields and be an advocate for diversity. Aileen reflects, “Kode with Klossy has helped with the realization that women, and I, can do so much good in the world and contribute to the advancement of technology as much as anyone else. It eased a lot of my fear on pursuing a career in computer engineering and made me more confident and sure of what I want in college.”
Kode with Klossy, unlike any other coding classes, “made me more interested in coding. I’ve taken a coding class in school, and it was really boring and almost made me lose interest in the subject; however, KWK helped spark my interest again.” (Michelle) Like a literal blessing! Fiona echoes the spark Michelle felt, saying, “I never used to think I wanted to get involved in coding until I started going to KWK. I am super inspired to continue learning more and more about coding! These two weeks have been the best two weeks I’ve had this year.”
Many of the girls expressed that they want to continue to pursue and dedicate themselves to studying computer science. Kyla explains, “Kode with Klossy has changed and helped me because I have a new drive to become a programmer in life… all the statistics I learned have made me want to do it even more.” While Aishiki says, “I’m really hoping to come back next year and continue to learn how to code and slowly close the gender gap to take down the patriarchy.”
The KWK classroom was very welcoming, where everyone’s voice mattered, breaking the potential silencing effect of being in a room full of men. Ameera reveals that “it really helped me to not be afraid of questions, because for almost all my life I was like, ‘oh, if I ask questions it’s gonna make me sound dumb,’ but I’ve asked a lot of questions here specially for our last project [in which] we had like over 200 errors! But we finished it.” We made a whole app from scratch!
The best part of the camp was making new friends and meeting inspiring women who supported you and cheered you on while you reciprocated that support. My classmates agreed, such as Cady who says Kode With Klossy “brought me closer to girls that are amazing role models and friends.” And Fiona who exclaims, “I met so many awesome people there and it really made me think about how lucky I was to get to know them!”
We got the chance to sit in the same class together and spend time with each other. What are the odds that we would meet such amazing people and become such close friends! Jamie says, “Everybody there is just like cool. They’re just so nice and smart and I’m like ‘wow, inspiring’.” And yeah, we were all a little awkward the first day. Hallie admits, “I didn’t know what to expect when I came in honestly. And I was like, ‘is it gonna be all awkward and tense and people are gonna be, whoa, who’s that? But no, everybody was so welcoming and so nice and ready to jump in. And honestly, my favorite part wasn’t even the coding, it was getting to meet new people and getting to make that connection. Cause 20 more people to call my friends? I love that.” Kode WIth Klossy helped us step out of our comfort zones and let our lights shine. “I’m quite introverted, but I think KWK helped me be more confident. A lot of the girls in the camp had very extroverted and positive personalities, and I was encouraged to be more open.” (Michelle)
At Kode With Klossy me and the other scholars worked together, failed together, and learned together. We were like a coding family. The amount of love and support I received every day throughout the camp was simply beautiful. And the women I met reminded me that we are the future and assured me that the future is indeed bright and female.
“KWK has been one of the greatest opportunities in my life.”
Aishiki
It has been both a privilege and an honor to spend time with the Kode With Klossy family. Make sure to keep an eye out for all the achievements KWK women are going to have.
About the Scholars: What made you who you are?
Aileen
Creative, artsy, YouTuber, future coolest computer engineer
“There was one summer before sophomore year of high school, where I spent most of the days with myself, and reflecting on who I was and who I wanted to be. I think that summer— and just being able to experience alone time for once— allowed me to be more in touch with myself and who I really was and wanted to be, and it boosted my confidence and open-mindedness. It helped defog the mess in my brain.”
Aishiki (Ish)
Courageous, not a follower, future congresswoman
“A lot of tiny things like my parents and the culture I grew up in. There are kinda like rules people fall into and follow. If I stayed in India I would’ve probably fallen into the rules. But when I came here and I saw people being more them and more free, it was different seeing people express who they really are and I think that probably coming here is one of the biggest things that has changed me and I’m, like, really happy for this opportunity.”
Ameera
Hard working, organized, hilariously sarcastic, goal oriented
“Putting myself out there either for speech or science competitions, and really showing my creativity, and especially camps like this, where I can really show myself, and you know show some good sides, has made me, me.”
Cady
Kind, helpful, ballerina
“There has been a lot that has made me “me” but three that I think are really important are, firstly, that I moved around quite a bit when I was a kid. I have always lived in Oregon but I was constantly having to get out and make friends which has made me not shy and able to talk to people comfortably and be able to thrive in a new environment. Secondly, my local library has a teens only area which has led me to meet a lot of teens that are amazing people that have shaped me and it has made me able to read more books that I may have never read. Lastly, I am a part of the Miss Marion Polk County Scholarship Program which has made me able to learn a lot about myself and pushed me to volunteer more in my community.”
Elora
Nice, helpful, talented
“Probably doing a lot of music stuff in school. It was one of the main things that put me into friend groups and taught me a lot about determination and hard work and how to balance things even when I have a lot to do.”
Fiona
Kind, capable, independent
“I have had many experiences that have made me, me, but I think that growing up with supportive parents and peers has allowed me to grow and learn so much.”
Halle
Powerful, strong, young, approachable woman who knows the respect she deserves
“Honestly my family. My grandma is the best person I know. She is kind. She is a power woman. And I kinda put my life like, what would grandma think? What would make her proud of me? I love her so much. She is so kind to everybody even if she has no reason to. And she is just the light in my life and I’ve never met one person who hasn’t liked her.”
Jamie
Cool, determined, like a moldy Voodoo donuts (Extra note: very funny)
“I’m depressed. I think it just taught me to be better about dealing with myself and how to be determined to do stuff because when you’re depressed or what not, you don’t really wanna do anything. Like, ugh it’s harder. It’s taught me a lot of stuff but it’s still really hard to get there and I still am bad at it, but it’s ok we’re trying. Advice: don’t die. Don’t be too hard on yourself.”
Kyla
A nice, driven woman who won’t let idiots stand in her way
“An experience in life that has made me me is my diagnosis with celiac. If that hadn’t happened, my life would’ve been different.”
Michelle
A nice and calm woman who is not ignorant and quiet even though she is introverted
“I don’t have ONE specific experience that made me, myself; however, there was a moment around eighth grade to freshman year where I told myself to stop caring so much. I cared too much/overthought about a lot of things that caused me to be really reserved (a lot more than now). I just constantly told myself to stop caring/worrying (about what other people thought about me, about my small mistakes, etc.), and I slowly began to be more open, but there’s still a lot of work to do.”
