It’s official: we want to be Karlie Kloss when we grow up. The supermodel-turned-coding entrepreneur-turned-TV host appeared during day four of SXSW 2018 to talk about how she started Kode With Klossy and what keeps her going. Plus, she also spoke about the power of equipping young females with the opportunities and skills needed to pursue a career in the traditionally male-dominated field of tech. Here were the top six takeaways from the hour…
1. Karlie started coding simply because she was curious
“I’m a naturally curious person. I was meeting a lot of tech entrepreneurs and I wanted to know what they knew.”
2. She believes that girls need to be encouraged to pursue a career in coding..
“Coding isn’t something that girls are encouraged to do or have access to, and I think more girls need to be encouraged to learn it. Getting more girls to the table who are a part of the conversations, building algorithms that are going to build our future, building the tech that is building our now and will continue to be the case. Having more diversity of thought at the table is great.”
3. …Because the result can be lifechanging for more than one person
“These girls are taking their life experiences and going into their communities to find problems and use technology to scale problem solving.”
4. And allow them to imagine a bright future
“These girls know that they have the skills to build the future they want.”
5. Plus, it’s never too late to learn
“We are all consumers of tech and I think knowledge is power. You’re never too old to learn.”
