ohnotheydidnt

Google is closing the coding gap, one girl at a time.

The tech giant launched its newest initiative — Made With Code — on Thursday night, with Chelsea Clinton and Mindy Kaling kicking off the night.



"Right now, our voices aren't being heard," Clinton told a group of more than 150 tween and teenage girls at the packed event, held at the Skylight Modern in West Chelsea.

"I'm not thrilled we've lost ground to boys and men," Clinton, who is pregnant with her first child, continued, citing that only 12% of computer-science degrees go to women.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, less than one percent of high school girls think that they have a future in computers and code. Even Google has reported its own lack of diversity, but hopes to change all of that - and has granted $50 million to the cause over the next three years.

The company has also partnered with the Girl Scouts as well as Girls Who Code to encourage young girls to give computing, programing, and coding a try.

"We need a lot more kids to come to computer science," Google X vice president Megan Smith told the group of girls — many of whom were from local tech and girls' groups from around the city. "These are incredibly fun jobs!"

"Tech is just like learning to read and write," she added.

Mindy Kaling, the brains — and beauty — behind "The Mindy Project," served as the night's emcee, offering humor and a twist of gravitas to the event.



"In Silicon Valley, I would be the oldest and poorest person there," the comedienne said of her lackadaisical tech skills, but added that if she could code, she would make apps like "Shazaam for Perfume" and the "What's His Deal?" app, "that takes a picture of a guy and tells you what's his deal? Married? Single? Weirdo? What's his car like?"

On a more serious note, Kaling added that coding would help give the girls an edge "to help you to succeed in all of the awesome stuff you guys are going to accomplish."

The official event closed with a spirited performance by Swedish duo Icona Pop, who sang their signature song, "I Love It," to a cheering crowd.



Local high schooler Khandile Zulu, who attends Benjamin Banneker Academy in Clinton Hill said that the event was inspiring for her and her fellow classmates.

"It motivated me to take things I like and do them well," the 17-year-old New Rochelle resident told the Daily News. "It was so amazing."

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