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“I care a lot about preparing things for the future, but at the same time I honor those who’ve come before me and recognize the sacrifices that they made.” KaYesu Machayo, 21, didn’t necessarily set out to pursue a career in STEM, but attributes her interest in the field to those who paved the way like Katherine Johnson — the hidden figure responsible for not only putting an astronaut into orbit around Earth, but helping to put a man on the moon too. Machayo is a daughter of the generation that Johnson made leaps for. As a Girls Who Code, alum, Machayo has an interest in using technology not only for social good, but to also close the gender gap and create things that make the world a more equitable place. Girls Who Code is a national non-profit organization working to close the gender gap in technology by using their programs to educate, equip and inspire girls like Machayo with the computing skills they’ll need to pursue 21st-century opportunities. These are the opportunities that...
Brittany Rhodes — founder of the Black Girl MATHgic movement — is proving that Black girls love math too. According to Black Enterprise, in a partnership with IFundWomen of Color, American Express surprised 100 Black women entrepreneurs with grants of $25,000 along with 100 days of resources as part of the “100 for 100” program. Rhodes decided she would use her proceeds from the grant to continue the movement she designed to equip Black girls — who face math anxiety — with basic math confidence needed to break the stigma. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Math Confidence in a Box (@blackgirlmathgic) This win is huge for Rhodes although she’s been winning grants and pitch contests from the beginning of her math confident initiatives — even winning her first pitch contest back in 2019 when Black Girl MATHgic was just an idea. Fast-forward to now and Rhodes has received close to $50,000 in funding in less than two years solely because of grants and pitches. The $25,000...