Teen CEO Teaches Computer Code to Empower Girls

Swetha Prabakaran has taught computer code to hundreds of young people as the CEO of a company that partners in 12 states and 3 countries. She also been honored at the White House for her efforts. 

She’s also just a junior in high school in Virginia. 

In 2014, the Indian-American teen founded an organization called Everybody Code Now!, a nonprofit working to empower the next generation of youth — mainly girls — to become engineers, scientists and entrepreneurs. 

“I am passionate about using technology to benefit the community but love inspiring other students to do the same,” she tells AmericanBazaarOnline.com.

Although she knew very little about coding until he 9th grade, software runs in her family. Her parents run a website called techfetch.com, a job portal that connects recruiters and job seekers.

“I grew up hearing a lot of computer jargon from my parents,” she says, adding that a computer teacher sparked her interested in her current passion. That particular teacher, “further sparked my curiosity by showing me the applications of computer science outside of the classroom,” she adds.

On Sept. 15, she was one of  11 people honored at the White House as Champions of Change for Young Women Empowering Communities of her efforts in promoting science and technology.  

And the future for Everybody Code Now! looks bright with Prabakaran steering the ship.

“I would like to expand Everybody Code Now! to all states in the US, as well as globally to regions where technology exposure is limited,” she says.