>>> THE TECH INDUSTRY IS NOT
NECESSARILY KNOWN FOR ITS GENDER
AND RACIAL INCLUSIVENESS.
BUT THE DAUGHTER OF THE LATE
LEGENDARY BUSINESS TIE TAN
REGINALD F. LEWIS IS WORKING TO
CHANGE ALL THAT.
SHE LAUNCHED A NONPROFIT WORKING
ON EDUCATION.
TECH TRAINING AND NAVIGATING
UNIQUE BARRIERS HER STUDENTS
FACE.
THIS SEGMENT IS PART OF OUR
CHASING THE DREAM INITIATIVE ON
POVERTY AND OPPORTUNITY IN
AMERICA.
JOINING US TODAY WITH ALL THE
INFORMATION ON WHAT HER
NONPROFIT IS DOING TO HELP, THE
FOUNDER AND CEO OF ALL-STAR CODE
CHRISTINA LEWIS.
>> THANK YOU, JACK, FOR HAVING
ME.
>> LET'S START OFF WITH ALL-STAR
CODE.
HOW DID IT COME ABOUT?
>> I WAS A PROFESSIONAL
JOURNALIST FOR SEVERAL YEARS.
AND WENT IN 2011 TO MY FIRST
TECH CONFERENCE.
AND THERE I WAS STUNNED AT THE
LACK OF BLACK AND BROWN FACES.
I SAW THAT THIS WAS A FIELD THAT
WASN'T JUST UNDIVERSE, BUT IN A
WAY I FELT HADN'T BEEN
INTEGRATED.
AND THEN MY FAMILY STORY COMES
IN BECAUSE MY FATHER WAS THE
PIONEER OF WALL STREET.
YOU MIGHT CALL HIM THE JACKIE
ROBINSON OF BUSINESS.
AS TALENTED AS HE WAS AND ALWAYS
WAS, HE WAS VERY HONEST WITH US
THAT HE NEVER WOULD HAVE MADE IT
TO THE HEART OF WALL STREET IF
THERE HADN'T BEEN AN ACCESS
PROGRAM ACTUALLY RUN BY HARVARD
LAW SCHOOL.
WITH THAT EXPERIENCE I JUST KNEW
FIRSTHAND THAT IF THE GATE
KEEPERS WEREN'T EXPLICITLY
THINKING ABOUT THIS AND OPENING
UP ACCESS THE INDUSTRY WOULDN'T
INTEGRATE.
>> NOT JUST BEING DIVERSIFIED,
BUT NOT BEING INTEGRATED.
SIGNIFICANT DISTINCTION.
20% OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WHO
ARE TAKING THE ADVANCED
PLACEMENT COMPUTER PROGRAMMING
OR RELATED COURSES WERE YOUNG
MEN OF COLOR.
>> THAT STATISTIC IS FRIGHTENING
BECAUSE, OF COURSE, OUR YOUTH
ARE ALMOST MAJORITY MINORITY
RIGHT NOW IN THIS COUNTRY.
THERE ARE SO MANY REASONS BEHIND
THE LACK OF DIVERSITY IN
TECHNOLOGY.
AND THAT INCLUDES HIRING
PRACTICES.
IT INCLUDES, YOU KNOW, POOR
SCHOOLING.
IT INCLUDES LACK OF AWARENESS
AND INFORMATION ABOUT S.T.E.M.
AND COMPUTER SCIENCE.
IT INCLUDES THE LACK OF ABILITY
OF COMPUTER SCIENCE INSTRUCTION.
>> HOW DETRIMENTAL DO YOU THINK
IT IS TO THESE YOUNG PEOPLE THAT
THEY SAY TO THEMSELVES, I DON'T
SEE ANYBODY WHO LOOKS LIKE ME?
>> THE FACT THAT YOUNG MEN OF
COLOR ARE UNDERREPRESENTED IN
COMPUTER SCIENCE WAS ON ALMOST
NO ONE'S RADAR.
THERE WAS A SMALL AMOUNT OF
PEOPLE THINKING ABOUT GIRLS AND
WOMEN IN S.T.E.M., WHICH, OF
COURSE, I SUPPORT.
BUT THE IDEA THAT THERE WERE
BOYS WHO ARE ALSO
UNDERREPRESENTED AND NEEDED
SUPPORT, IT WAS -- THE IDEA WAS
SO RADICAL.
JUST TO GO BACK TO THE GENESIS,
THAT'S WHY I, ALONG WITH MY MY
MOTHER, WE DECIDED TO LEAD IT,
INITIALLY HELP START THIS
ORGANIZATION BECAUSE THIS IS --
THERE WAS A LACK OF AWARENESS
THAT THERE'S EVEN A PROBLEM.
WE HAVE TWO MAIN PROGRAMS.
ONE IS A FREE SIX-WEEK COMPUTER
SCIENCE PROGRAM WHERE THE
STUDENTS COME OUT LEARNING WEB
DEVELOPMENT.
BUT IT ALSO TEACHES SOFT SKILLS.
>> WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT, FOR
PEOPLE WHO MIGHT NOT BE FAMILIAR
WITH THE TERM SOFT SKILLS.
>> SOFT SKILLS IS HOW TO
PRESENT, COMMUNICATION, AND
EMPHASIZES THE IMPORTANCE OF NOT
JUST BUILDING SOMETHING GREAT,
BUT ALSO DESCRIBING IT REALLY
WELL.
ONE OF THE BIG INSIGHTS THAT I
HAD FROM MY RESEARCH BEFORE I
STARTED ALL-STAR CODE WAS THAT A
BIG TECHNOLOGY COMPANY IS
LOOKING FOR GREAT ENGINEERS, AND
GREAT COMMUNICATORS.
AND THAT IS WHAT MAKES A REALLY
SUCCESSFUL ENGINEER.
YOU KNOW, YES, THEY CAN BUILD,
BUT ALSO WHEN IT'S TIME TO POWER
POINT IT, WHEN IT'S TIME TO TALK
ABOUT IT, THEY CAN DO THAT TOO.
SO THAT'S WHAT OUR SUMMER
PROGRAM IS, AND IT'S RUNNING
RIGHT NOW.
WE HAVE 150 STUDENTS IN NEW YORK
CITY AND PITTSBURGH LEARNING TO
CODE INSIDE COMPANIES AND
UNIVERSITIES.
>> TALK ABOUT, IF YOU WOULD,
THOSE PARTNERSHIPS THAT YOU HAVE
WITH COMPANIES AND UNIVERSITIES.
WHAT DO THEY CONTRIBUTE TO THE
PROGRAM?
>> WELL, WE RAISED A MILLION
DOLLARS THIS SUMMER FROM
COMPANIES IN ORDER TO ACTUALLY
FUND THE SUMMER INTENSIVE.
BUT THEY ALSO PROVIDE IN KIND
RESOURCES, SPACE TO HOST THE
PROGRAM, THERE ARE WEEKLY
MENTORING LUNCHES FOR EMPLOYEE
ENGAGEMENT AND WE ALSO DO SITE
VISITS WEEKLY.
SO OUR STUDENTS RIGHT NOW ARE
CRISS-CROSSING SILICON ALLEY
VISITING DIFFERENT COMPANIES, SO
THAT EXPOSURE.
WE ALSO -- ONCE YOU'RE AN
ALL-STAR, YOU'RE AN ALL-STAR FOR
LIFE.
WE'RE COMMITTED TO DEVELOPING AN
ALUMNI NETWORK TO SUPPORT THE
STUDENTS UNTIL THEY GET THEIR
FIRST FULL-TIME JOB IN
TECHNOLOGY.
>> TALK ABOUT THE SUCCESSES.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBERS,
THEY ARE JUST MARVELOUS.
>> WE'RE SO PROUD THAT 85% OF
OUR STUDENTS ARE MAJORING OR
MINORING IN COMPUTER SCIENCE.
AND ABOUT 95% ARE GOING TO
FOUR-YEAR COLLEGES.
A THIRD OF THOSE SELECTIVE
COLLEGES.
IN THE JOBS MARKET THE OLDEST
ARE STILL ONLY JUNIORS IN
COLLEGE.
BUT THEY'RE INTERNING AT MANY OF
OUR CORPORATE FUNDERS, LIKE
INCLUDING GOOGLE, INCLUDING
GOLDMAN SACHS, INCLUDING AT&T.
>> YOU HAVE YOUR FIFTH ANNUAL
SUMMER EVENT.
>> IT'S 350 PEOPLE COMING TO
EAST HAMPTON, THE HOME OF
AMERICA'S WEALTHY AND POWERFUL,
AND TO CELEBRATE DIVERSITY AND
TECHNOLOGY.
OUR CO-CHAIRS ARE -- INCLUDES
THE OWNER OF WEB.COM, AN
AFRICAN-AMERICAN PRIVATE EQUITY
INVESTOR, AND OUR HONOREES ARE
VAN JONES, THE CNN COMMENTATOR
AND ACTIVIST, AND THE FOUNDER
AND CEO OF GIRLS WHO CODE.
>> YOU'VE DONE EXTRAORDINARY
WORK HERE.
>> THANK YOU.
>> YOUR DAD WOULD BE QUITE PROUD
OF WHAT YOU AND YOUR MOM HAVE
DONE HERE.
BEST OF LUCK THIS WEEKEND.
>> THANK YOU.
>> BE WELL, TAKE CARE.
>>> FOR MORE INFORMATION ON
ALL-STAR CODE, ALSO HOW YOU CAN
SUPPORT THEM AT THEIR STAR
STUDDED EVENT IN HE'S HAMPTON
THIS WEEKEND.
VISIT US AT METROFOCUS.ORG.
