Kate Kirwin
2024 Fotoworks WAPPA Conference
Wednesday, 28 August 2024
Lighting Speaker: I want to be a ballerina software developer
Kate Kirwin, passionate and enthusiastic, introduced us to the world of female tech aligning with our theme, infinite possibilities.
Her youthful enthusiasm (and yes, 30 is still youthful), unwavering commitment to advocating for girls in tech, and penchant for hula hooping have fueled her innovation journey as a young leader. She founded She Codes Australia in 2015 and was named Young West Australian of the Year in 2024. Born and bred in WA, hailing from Karratha and Australind, with a country “can-do” attitude, dedication, and confidence, she has given over 7,000 women across Australia the opportunity to learn to code, all while simultaneously shining a light on the challenges women face in the STEM industry. She works in partnership with businesses to offer these courses free to women.
Kate, though not from a technical background, had an interest in learning to code. She noticed the gap when she wanted to learn and couldn’t find any female-friendly or beginner-friendly resources. She Codes began as a female- and beginner-friendly start-up to address that gap, starting with one-day workshops. It now offers week-long courses and six-month programs with the super ambitious goal of getting 100,000 women into tech by 2025. Courses fill up quickly, with most fully booked within hours of opening, reflecting the high demand and interest among females in coding when provided a safe space to learn.
For us as educators and school leaders, the key takeaways from Kate’s presentation are: identify the gaps and be part of the solution—this is our work as leaders. Find the hidden passions within your teams and let them shine in the learning space. Passion creates opportunities to think and act differently in an ever-evolving tech world. Hold space and make it safe for sharing new ideas—it might just be the idea needed to leap forward. There are infinite possibilities in our leadership roles to drive the change we want to see.