"I can still go to Forever 21 and buy a t-shirt that says ‘allergic to algebra.' We still have that Barbie that would say that she hated math. And we still have this kind of cultural stereotype that a computer scientist or a programmer is kind of like a dorky, young white guy."
"Girls Who Code" has partnered with educators, engineers and business people. Twenty girls took part in the group's first eight-week program last summer in New York City. They learned how to build websites and mobile apps, and create business plans.
"We took girls on field trips to the NYPD, to Facebook, to Twitter. And we showed them how technology is a part of every, every industry. Whether it's fashion, whether it's medicine. And that you can really use technology to really change the world."
Ms. Saujani says companies have been very supportive of the group.
"The private sector really understands that they have an enormous pipeline problem. We have a huge shortage of engineers. And they invest in "Girls Who Code" to really grow that pipeline."
Google was the first business to invest in the group. Reshma Saujani says if not for Google, "Girls Who Code" would not exist. Twitter, General Electric, eBay and others have also provided support.
Ms. Saujani says the program has been extremely successful. She says all the girls who took part in its first group plan to continue their STEM training. And, she says, "Girls Who Code" hopes to train many more.
"If our goal at "Girls Who Code" is to really close the STEM gap, we realize that we have to teach two million girls how to code in the next twenty years."
