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As a little girl growing up in the Deep South, my mother told me that my future lay in my education. And she was right.
Kimberly Bryant -
Few of my classmates looked like me. While we shared similar aspirations and many good times, there's much to be said for making any challenging journey with people of the same cultural background.
Kimberly Bryant
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Girls who participate in Black Girls Code think of themselves as leaders.
Kimberly Bryant -
I don't think that the trickle-down theory of diversity ever really works.
Kimberly Bryant -
I'm horrendous at capturing a decent selfie.
Kimberly Bryant -
We are not generally included in that narrative - people of color - definitely, women of color don't normally fit that narrative that has been built around the whole image and the whole story of the Silicon Valley.
Kimberly Bryant -
If I understood the great opportunities that are available to women and underrepresented minorities in the field of tech I would have made the transition from traditional engineering to the technology field much earlier in my career.
Kimberly Bryant -
I'm looking to see more women of color not only in companies in technology, but also creating companies.
Kimberly Bryant
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I hope to literally change the world with Black Girls Code by changing the paradigm which produces the current monolithic ecosystem in technology.
Kimberly Bryant -
I definitely think there needs to be more of a focus and movement on getting coding taught in schools. There's really only so much after-school programs like Black Girls Code can do to really drive that change. And those classes shouldn't only take place in high school. We should make sure that we teach kids about coding at an early age.
Kimberly Bryant -
There's not enough said about the beauty of being able to focus on what you do well.
Kimberly Bryant -
I had originally wanted to be a lawyer. Even when I went to college and majored in engineering, I still thought I'd get a law degree. Then I started taking electrical engineering classes where I saw some of the innovation happening around computers and solid-state technology in the mid '80s.
Kimberly Bryant -
I do believe that most startups who develop applications and digital products design 'towards the middle.' By this, I mean they design their products to reach the broadest consumer base possible, which is a sound strategy in some respects.
Kimberly Bryant -
If people are not tied to the work from a mission-driven focus, I don't think you're going to motivate them.
Kimberly Bryant
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You cannot possibly be reaching the needs of your consumers when the makeup of your company is not reflective of the community you serve.
Kimberly Bryant -
Women and girls are naturally agents of change. If we teach one girl to code, she will go on to teach more - we've seen this in our own programs and workshops around the country.
Kimberly Bryant -
By reaching out to the community through workshops, hackathons, and after-school programs, Black Girls Code introduces computer programming and technology to girls from underrepresented communities.
Kimberly Bryant -
I didn't want my daughter to feel culturally isolated in the pursuit of her studies as I had as a young girl. I didn't want her to give up on her passions just because she didn't see anyone else like her in the classroom.
Kimberly Bryant -
For me, if a company is really committed to diversity, that means everything. That means gender diversity, that means sexual orientation for me, that means race, ethnicity.
Kimberly Bryant -
While there is still certainly much more work that needs to be done, Lyft actually believes in increasing diversity and inclusion within their workforce, and also, they believe in being a strong supporter of that in the community.
Kimberly Bryant
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If technology is designed mostly by white males, who make up roughly half our population, we're missing out on the innovation, solutions, and creativity that a broader pool of talent can bring to the table.
Kimberly Bryant -
It's critical for girls to see role models like myself that are in technical fields. Looking for ways to come in as speakers or do a career day, or just find a way to connect with students or invite students to their workplaces to shadow them for the day... is critically important.
Kimberly Bryant -
When you've already experienced great challenges in your career, it gives minor setbacks a different perspective.
Kimberly Bryant -
Some of the perceptions from my professors were that I was less than or that I wouldn't be able to compete or wouldn't be able to meet the same bar as my peers. I don't want that for my daughter or for any of the girls who come into our program.
Kimberly Bryant