Reshma Saujani: CEO of GirlsWhoCode

By Avaya Agarwal

Involving more women into STEM is a widely sought-after goal of many, and is quite important in this rapidly modernizing world where technology becomes more prevalent everyday. However, in the midst of chasing after this dream of including all genders into the fields involved with STEM, we forget that there are already many women who have already fought against the gender bias and become leading models for girls all over the world. One such woman is Reshma Saujani, the founder of the nonprofit organization Girls Who Code, fighting to close the gender gap in the field of computer science. Her story is one that has led her to not only help girls throughout the US, but also one that can help encourage many to follow in her path to become instrumental figures in STEM.

Reshma began her career as an attorney and Democratic organizer, appearing on the political scene as the first Indian American woman to run for Congress. Despite there being no precedence for someone like her to succeed in the job she had chosen, she still pursued what she wanted to do. While running for US Congress, Saujani visited local schools and saw the unfortunate gender gap in computing classes firsthand. Even while running for a position in government, she decided to take a stand agains the disparities she had seen, founding the well-known organization Girls Who Code. As the CEO of Girls Who Code, Reshma made the organization into one of the largest and most prestigious non-profits in the country, reaching 500 million people worldwide. The company has taught 300,000 girls to code through in-person education, showcasing just how limitless Reshma Saujani’s determination to help girls throughout the US was. Not only has Saujani helped by increasing female participation in STEM fields, but she has also created innovative partnerships to support DREAMers, and launched the Marshall Plan for Moms to advocate for policies that vaule women’s labor in and out of the home. Reshma’s influences have completely changed the playing field for women, and her the greatness of what she has done is truly indescribable.

Although Reshma Suajani had no former representation in the job she so desperately wanted to chase after, she never gave up and instead fought not only for herself, but for many others. She has given resources to girls who do not have the means to learn programming, and accomplished many things no one before her had achieved. Her achievements hopefully motivate girls to pursue any field in STEM they want to, even if their dreams seem completely unattainable.