Ada Developers Academy Brings Their Life-Changing Tech Education Program to Atlanta After Melinda French Gates Donation
Ada Developers Academy (Ada), a cost-free coding program for women and gender-expansive adults, has announced the opening of the enrollment period for its new Atlanta 2022 cohort. Applications will be open from March 7th through March 28th and interested applicants can apply on the organization’s official website.
The first course for the Atlanta chapter will start on September 5th, with 48 spots available and internships beginning in February 2023. Some of the companies where Atlanta students will be completing their internships include industry leaders like Amazon, Salesforce, Microsoft, and Nordstrom, among many other big tech company partners.
“We are expanding to Atlanta because it has the intersection of the people that we are aiming to serve and the tech sector growth that needs their talent,” says Alexandra Holien, VP of Revenue and Strategy at Ada Developers Academy. “Our vision is to create a tech industry where Black and brown women and trans folks can be included. We prioritized Atlanta to begin our expansion because it had a large representation of the very demographic we need to serve right now. The Atlanta market has a booming tech sector.”
Atlanta’s African American metro population is 33.6%, while Hispanics make up 12% and its Asian population is over 6%, making Atlanta one of the most diverse cities in the country. “Our program allows our diverse pool of students to contribute to Atlanta’s booming economy and allows them to get real-world experience at leading companies impacting our world,” Holien continues.
Ada’s expansion is largely attributed to the Cognizant Foundation and the Equality Can’t-Wait Can’t Wait Grant secured last July, where the academy was awarded $10 million to expand economic opportunities for women, minorities, and gender-expansive people. The Challenge was funded by tech-heavy-hitters and philanthropic leaders Mackenzie Scott and Melinda French Gates, who donated a total of $40 million to the initiative.
“Our aim in expanding to diverse cities that are beginning to experience tech industry growth is to ensure that the wealth generated by the industry benefits the whole community and not just a select few. Coming from Seattle we have seen how booming tech can push communities out of their city, and we hope to see Atlanta become the first market to grow tech from within,” says Ada CEO Lauren Sato.
Ada’s Atlanta program will start out with a digital classroom and in-person internships, with in-person learning expected in 2023.
About Ada Developers Academy
Ada Developers Academy is a non-profit, cost-free coding school for women and gender-expansive adults. We prioritize serving Black, Latine, Indigenous Americans, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander, LGBTQIA+, and low-income people. Ada’s immersive training and internship program create pathways for thousands of people from disinvested communities to become impactful software developers.
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