When you hear the name “Karlie Kloss,” you probably picture the six foot tall blonde model who you saw in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show last year. Karlie’s signature look has scored her modeling jobs with Christian Dior, Coach, L’Oréal Paris and countless more, and she’s considered to be one of the most iconic models of all time.
But what you might not realize is that behind the cameras, Karlie has an even cooler hobby- she’s an avid coder, and recently started her own coding program, “Kode With Klossy,” for young girls who are interested in computer science. The program is a coding summer camp for girls aged 13 through 18 that teaches the coding language Ruby, enabling participants to build apps, websites, and more. According to the program, over 600 girls applied and only 21 were selected for the program, and each girl got to design a project specific to their own interests.
But what makes “Kode with Klossy” so important is the way that it’s empowering young girls across the country to challenge stereotypes. Current statistics show that over half of all college degrees are awarded to women, and yet women earn only 12 percent of computer science degrees, and less than 20 percent of engineering degrees. Coding is essential to almost any career involving technology, including game design, mobile apps, websites, and more, and science and technology fields are predicted to be careers with some of the highest job growth in the next few years. Unfortunately, even with all the progress that’s been made in narrowing the gender gap, computer science and engineering are still often seen as predominately “male” majors and career paths. By creating this program, Karlie is helping more girls to develop their interest in math and science, taking the first step to narrowing this gap in degrees. What’s more, as a supermodel and coder, Karlie’s showing that it’s okay to be interested in fashion/makeup and coding, which are too often seen as opposites. “Kode with Karlie” is one the first programs of its kind, and we can’t wait to see what these girls come up with.