MIMI FOX MELTON: Hi.
I'm Mimi Fox Melton, director of Technical Applicant Prep
Programs at CODE2040.
CODE2040 is a San Francisco-based non-profit
that creates pathways to success in the innovation
economy for blacks and Latinos.
Right now, there is a huge wealth gap in this country.
And it's impacting our communities, our businesses,
and our economy, especially as our country's demographics
continue to shift.
However, the new tech economy also
presents a huge opportunity, especially
for those of us in the tech industry.
We have the power to change the face of tech
and close this wealth gap.
So here's what we're doing.
We have four programs exploring pathways to increase access
into the tech sector.
I came on board to build out our TAP programs
and answer the question, how do we
reach every single black and Latino computer science
major in the country?
You may already be familiar with our summer Fellows
program, which started in 2012 with five students.
This summer, we're growing to 80 students
who snag paid summer internships at top Bay Area tech companies.
Despite efforts like these as an industry,
we haven't made significant gains
towards increasing diversity.
Though in the US, blacks and Latinos
make up 28% of the population and 18% of computer science
degrees, we're only represented in tech at 5% to 9%.
Through the Fellows program, we've
worked with over 70 companies who
are taking action towards building more diverse teams
and exploring and implementing operational and cultural
changes to retain those diverse team members.
Our Fellows program successes are
enabling us to tackle that question, how do we
support the 32,000 black and Latino computer science
majors in the US who are struggling to survive
as first generation college students, immigrants, or women
of color?
In 2015, my team launched a series of workshops,
webinars, and local retreats designed
to build professional development skills
and community for those 32,000 students.
We piloted with about 600 students, and we learned a lot.
At the end of the year, I hit the books
to analyze our surveys, review our focus group data, interview
volunteers and university faculty,
and read every study I could find on the minority
experience in CS.
What I found was staggering.
The overall dropout rate for CS students in the US
is around 30%.
For blacks and Latinos, that number jumps to around 70%.
One historically black college in the US
reports an annual dropout rate of 96%.
The data show four reasons why students of color drop out.
I talk to students all the time who
don't know a single other black or Latino
person in their major.
They don't know that they can start a company,
make a lot of money, or change the world with their degree.
We hear from students dealing with depression,
diminished self-worth, and intense imposter syndrome.
At best, some of them suffer through it and graduate.
The vast majority change majors, and some drop out of school
entirely.
I believe that there's a fourth option,
a space where black and Latino students are thriving.
They understand their potential in the industry,
and they see a clear path to achieving their goals.
I created TAP 2016 to be that program.
TAP 2016 is a year-long program with in-person and virtual
engagement designed to connect computer science
and academia with software engineering careers.
As part of TAP 2016, we're launching a new initiative,
First Years on Campus, which is an early intervention cohort
program for black and Latino CS freshman, designed especially
for programming that address those common causes of CS
dropout.
We are constantly asked by techies, what can I do to help?
So we're building out our professional leadership
development work with our alumni and our volunteers,
specifically to expand their mentorship and facilitation
skills.
So whether you work with us or someone else,
it is vital that you, as an individual, get involved.
Reach out to us and apply the volunteer.
Design a webinar, sit on a panel, or write a blog post.
We'll help.
Let us know that you can give a tour of your office
or even have a student shadow you for a day.
We are always in need of virtual coaches
who can give resume feedback, general career advice,
or practice interview skills.
We can help you pitch an internship at your organization
or in your department.
This summer, you can mentor a fellow for eight weeks.
Introduce them to your network, invite them
to your office-- you know, just spend your time with them.
Look, this is not a problem that people of color
alone are going to be able to solve.
This is an all-hands-on-deck, America-is-in-trouble kind
of problem.
But there is action that you can take today
to make a difference.
Email us and let us know that you're in.
[APPLAUSE AND CHEERING]