In an effort to encourage more women to pursue computer science careers, Google is launching an initiative called “Made with Code.”
“Made with Code” will encourage young girls to learn to code by providing them with online coding lessons and $50 million in grants, according to Politico.
Actress, writer, and comedian Mindy Kaling helped kick off the campaign in New York on Thursday night. She spoke to the 150 girls in the audience about succeeding in a world where they may feel unwelcome or out of place.
Kaling compared the gender disparity in technology to her own obstacles in producing the hit show, The Mindy Project.
“Hollywood wasn’t exactly begging for a show about a chubby gynecologist, who was unlucky in love, but that’s what they got,” she said, according to CNET.
Also generating excitement at the event was former first daughter Chelsea Clinton. In her speech, Clinton called on women to up their roles in an increasingly tech-driven society, and emphasized the importance “that girls and women see computer science as real, viable options for them."