White House Honors Ashburn Teen with Champions of Change Award

Image, courtesy of Whitehouse.gov.

Swetha Prabakaran, of Ashburn, Virginia, was one of 11 females honored on September 15, as a Champion of Change, according to an announcement by the White House.

The award, which celebrates women who are empowering their communities, also looks to young people for their courage and contributions.

“The goal of the event is to inspire girls and young women to recognize their potential for leadership -- as educators, advocates, peer-mentors, artists and entrepreneurs -- and to appreciate that they can be leaders in their own way and in their own style,” stated the news release.

Prabakaran is the Founder and CEO of Everybody Code Now!, a non-profit working to empower the next generation of youth to become engineers, scientists, and entrepreneurs.

“By 2020, we’ll have more than 1.4 million tech jobs in the US, but girls still hesitate to enter engineering and technology due to stereotypes,” said Prabakaran, in the White House blog. “Without encouraging more young women to enter programming, we will never be able to fill those positions.”

Her organization teaches students code through camps, workshops and mentorship opportunities.

“Under Swetha¹s direction, Everybody Code Now! has taught hundreds of students how to code and has raised thousands of dollars for STEM activities in schools,” the news release explained. “Her mentorship programs have transformed shy young girls into confident students, community leaders, and budding technologists.

Prabakaran, who is currently a junior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, wants to give other young girls the opportunities she was given.

“I hope to continue expanding Everybody Code Now!’s programs, both nationally and internationally, and show even more girls that they can become community leaders, innovators, and Champions of Change,” added Prabakaran.