Kimberly Bryant

“One of the biggest lessons that we hope to model for several folks, including some of the young women of color who come to me, is the value of understanding your worth, standing up, and demanding the best for yourself and not taking less.”

“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.”

“You cannot possibly be reaching the needs of your consumers when the makeup of your company is not reflective of the community you serve.”

“Our camps and workshops offer a space where girls of color can learn computer science and coding principles alongside their peers, with mentorship from female role models who have established themselves in tech fields where women, and minority women in particular, tend to be underrepresented.”

“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.”

“I grew up in a close-knit community where I was expected to excel, and it was a different experience when I got to the university. There were very few students of color, and those numbers were extremely low in the school of engineering.”

“Jobs in technology have the rapidest rate of growth. The need for computer science is so incredibly large, and it's important that girls of all colors have the opportunity to move into that field.”

“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.”

“I don't think that the trickle-down theory of diversity ever really works.”

“I believe it is incredibly important for women and people of color to become the builders and creators in technology. In order to do so, we need to know how to code or, at least, know the language of coding - what I like to call 'code speak.'”

“I'm horrendous at capturing a decent selfie.”

“When you've already experienced great challenges in your career, it gives minor setbacks a different perspective.”

“We're creating this new breed of techies who are going to be the ones starting the tech companies of the future.”

“Our goal is to really have young women of color embrace the tech marketplace and the tech innovation space as both leaders and creators.”

“I think my biggest mistake was deciding not to go to law school directly after I graduated from college.”

“Girls are almost always socialized to be perfect: 'Smile, do well in school, don't take too many risks.'”

“I'm looking to see more women of color not only in companies in technology, but also creating companies.”

“I think that if companies build for diversity from the beginning from the ground up, that's definitely the ideal state for how to build diversity into your company.”

“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.”

“We like to say we hope to be like the Girl Scouts of technology, having many different chapters in many different states as well as many different countries.”