Kimberly Bryant's nonprofit caught Winfrey's attention eaming Bryant grant money to grow her organization
CHAPTER ONE Kimberly Bryant Champion of Change On November 15 2014 the crowd in the packed arena in San Jose California was charged with energy It was Oprah Winfrey's last stop during her whirlwind eight city tour for her one woman show The media mogul and self help guru was about to announce who would receive the eighth and final Standing O Vation award a 25 000 grant given to an extraordinary life trailblazer The audience of more than 10 000 people was eagerly waiting to see who the lucky winner would be In each city on Winfrey's tour a Standing O Vation was awarded to a woman working to change the world for the better while motivating others to make positive changes in their own lives and communities This time we've chosen abold woman from San Francisco said Winfrey looking out
PYFROM'S BRILLIANT BUS During her The Life You Want Weekend tour Winfrey championed the work of seven other women in addition to Bryant one of whom was 77 year old Estella Pyfrom used her entire life's savings The stadium erupted in to start a new business an education center on wheels In 2011 she bought applause With tears in her eyes an old bus and converted it into a mobile tech lab featuring built in computer stations Thus far her bus has reached more than 60 000 underprivileged kids Bryant the founder of Black Girls in underserved neighborhoods The mobile tech lab also provides Internet CODE a nonprofit organization access for the homeless to search for housing and jobs Pyfrom believes access to dedicated to introducing girls computers gives the next generation a better chance for success at the crowd Where is Kimberly Bryant Kimberly Bryant come on up here Pyfrom Miami resident and retired educator of color ages 7 to 17 to the field of technology and computer science walked onto the stage A biographical video detailing some of her major accomplishments played on a large screen behind her as she proudly accepted the award When the presentation was over Winfrey clasped Bryant's hand and together the two women lifted their joined arms above their heads in triumph Tough Beginnings Before founding Black Girls CODE Bryant had worked in the biotechnology industry for more than 20 years as a software engineer at top pharmaceutical companies such as Merck and Pfizer But her path to success was not easy As an adolescent Bryant did not have access to a computer at home nor was she exposed to any technology related classes in high school Her first experience with Fortran a
computer programming language was not until her freshman year in college at Vanderbilt University in Nashville Tennessee in 1985 Yet despite her late introduction to the world of computer programming Bryant excelled in her introductory classes and wanted to learn more Excited by the rise in popularity of personal computers and the advances being made by tech companies such as intel and Microsoft she decided to major in electrical engineering with a minor in computer science Though she continued to earn top grades her four years at Vanderbilt's School of Engineering were a struggle As one of very few women let alone African American women in her undergraduate classes she felt like an outsider Competition was fierce and many of the coveted internship opportunities went to her white male colleagues who better fit the stereotypical profile of a capable computer scientist After Bryant graduated her first few years in the workforce INFLUENTIAL MENTORS were no less daunting One of the Bryant grew up in a low income neighborhood in North Memphis Tennessee first experiences I had with being during the late 1960s and 1970s She did not have many role models and spent a double minority was being most of her days tagging along with her older brother playing video games with him and his friends Bryant says she initially planned to become a lawyer introduced to the rest of the staff But because of excellent grades in science and math she changed her course and my team by my manager and when applying to colleges In an interview for Wired magazine Bryant attributes him saying Well for Kimberly the switch to two female African American guidance counselors who were instrumental in encouraging herto pursue a career in engineering Having those coming on we got a twofer she's mentors and support was essential Bryant says a woman and she's a person of
