Beyond the Code: The Real Keys to Getting More Girls in Tech
Let’s be real—when people talk about why there aren’t more women in tech, they throw out a lot of theories. Not interested. Not skilled. Not encouraged. But here’s the truth: it’s not about ability—it’s about access.
A 2014 study from Google, Women Who Choose Computer Science—What Really Matters, found that of 91 different factors, just four made the biggest difference in whether girls pursued careers in tech: Social Encouragement, Self Perception, Academic Exposure, and Career Perception.
And at HYPE? We’re tackling all four—head-on, every day. Because getting girls into tech isn’t just about teaching them to code. It’s about helping them see themselves in this space, find their community, and own their future.
Community: Finding Your People
Nobody wants to be the only one. And for too many girls in tech, that’s exactly how it feels. We change that.
HYPE creates spaces where girls can geek out, dream big, and build together. Our scholars aren’t just learning skills—they’re building lifelong networks. They see other girls who share their interests, they meet women killing it in the industry, and they realize: I belong here.
Confidence: Seeing Yourself in Tech
Self-perception is everything. If a girl never sees someone like her in a tech role, why would she believe she could do it?
That’s why we don’t just talk about women in tech—we introduce our scholars to them. Not just coders, but AI experts, cybersecurity pros, UX designers, and digital storytellers. And we don’t stop at role models. Our scholars get their hands dirty—building, creating, problem-solving. When they see their own work come to life, the question shifts from “Can I do this?” to “What do I want to build next?”
Exposure: Opening Doors to What’s Possible
A virtual classroom can only show you so much. That’s why we believe in taking learning out into the world.
This summer, girls who apply early to our Leadership Academy will get exclusive access to field trips, corporate partner tours, and college campus visits. They’ll step into offices like Microsoft, meet the women leading AI initiatives, and see firsthand what a future in tech could look like.
And in June, a group of HYPE alumnae will become the teachers as we travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana for our inaugural domestic cultural immersion experience and teach coding to a group of girls in another state.
Vision: Expanding What “Tech” Even Means
News flash: not every tech job involves coding. Tech is storytelling, innovation, problem-solving, and creativity.
That’s why we help our girls think beyond the code. Sure, some will become engineers, but others will design the next wave of wearable tech, or build AI that analyzes hair textures and recommends products like our recent HYPE About Tech Conference speaker, Candace Mitchell. Some will leverage tech in their future law practices to help identify and solve inequities in the world around them, and still others will potentially develop technology to help identify cancer earlier in at-risk patients. Whatever their interests—and we’ve had plenty of students tell us they want to go into other career fields—we help them see the ways tech can help them on the career journey that excites them most.
Because you can’t dream about what you don’t know exists—so we make sure they see every possibility.
The Movement Is Growing—Are You In?
We know what works. We see it every day. A strong community, real-world exposure, and the chance to dream without limits—that’s what gets more girls into tech.