Non-profit organization Kode With Klossy hosted its two-day introductory coding workshop CODE-A-BRATION at Stanford University from Saturday, March 16 to Sunday, March 17. Founded by supermodel Karlie Kloss in 2015, the organization aims to bring tech learning opportunities to underrepresented youth gender groups. 

Earlier this year, 75 female and gender-expansive students ages 13 to 18 were selected to participate in the camp. Senior manager of Kode With Klossy programs Madainn Krall explains that the free event is primarily meant to ignite interest in coding through memorable community building and accessible hands-on experiences. 

“We want to remove any and all barriers between somebody who is even a little bit interested in computer science and the events that we can create,” Krall said. “From the onset, Kode With Klossy has existed as a space for specifically women and gender-expansive youth to be able to find a community and to nurture that spark of lifelong passion for computer science. This event is really great for us to be able to give a very surface-level, trial-sized introduction and get everybody excited about the world and what computer science has to offer. No matter who you are and where you come from, we want you to be able to join us.”

The San Francisco Bay Area was one of three locations selected for CODE-A-BRATION, along with New York City and Washington D.C. Krall explains that the Bay Area’s proximity to Silicon Valley poses an opportunity to empower female and gender-expansive youths through tech opportunities despite the male-dominated field they are surrounded by. Kode With Klossy’s long-time partnership with Apple has connected them with resources to plan events. Through the partnership, KWK was able to invite a panel of female engineers and researchers from Apple to share about their experiences with breaking into the tech industry and the underrepresentation of women in their workplaces.

“We love to be able to create those moments, that space for employees that look like the people who are in this room with us today,” Krall said. “To be able to come and share how they got here and how their journey wasn’t always easy — it’s really important for that story to be told and for folks as young as the students in this room to see that it is possible if they so choose.”

The CODE-A-BRATION curriculum touched on the fundamentals of software languages such as HTML and CSS and delved into the trending topics of artificial intelligence and machine learning. Using techniques they just learned, students used machine learning to create models serving functions ranging from analyzing skin health to detecting mathematical functions. 

Junior Jahnavi Kumar was one of the 75 people selected to participate in the KWK program, and she says her interest was piqued by its range of topics including AI and ML, as well as its accessible approach for introducing the subjects. Kumar built her ML model to help colorblind people select coordinating outfits, inspired by her friend who felt confined to black and white clothing due to their colorblindness. Coming into the program with limited coding experience, Kumar says the various perspectives and experiences she discovered through the program have opened her eyes to new possibilities for herself in the tech industry.

“Growing up in Silicon Valley, it feels like it’s technology, technology, technology, right?” Kumar said. “So hearing all the stories of the panelists, guest speakers and even just other attendees, made me realize technology is such a big field that doesn’t just have to be CS — it can find intersections between health and other careers. I feel like these events definitely help promote and encourage other genders to pursue careers in technology, and that was something that stood out to me with this program.”

Towards the end of day two, Kloss made a surprise appearance to host a fireside chat with Apple Vice President of Health Dr. Sumbal Desai about their respective career values and journeys. After the two tech leaders wrapped up their conversation, Kloss made the rounds throughout the venue to interact individually with students and sit in on student showcases of their passion projects. While meeting Kloss was always an exciting prospect for Kumar in joining the program, Kumar says the insight that Kloss brought through sharing her personal journey made the most impact.

“It must have been hard for Karlie to navigate her teenage years while also juggling a modeling career, but seeing her being able to do that plus, after many years of modeling, going out of her comfort zone to pursue computer science and start this organization was just really inspiring as a whole,” Kumar says. “It just comes to show that you don’t need to be attached to anything and there are so many possibilities.”

As the season of CODE-A-BRATIONs comes to an end, Krall looks forward to seeing students take greater strides in Kode With Klossy’s two-week summer programs which this event has laid the foundations for. Krall’s excitement is shared by Kumar as she is inspired to join future KWK opportunities and apply her new knowledge. 

“I met so many new people and like-minded peers with similar passions and those connections are something that I can grow and definitely value forever,” Kumar said. “Aside from that, I feel like with the knowledge that I gained, I’m ready to dive deeper into developing websites and figuring out how to do things myself.”