About
Team
Anjali Thakrar - Co Founder
Hi! I’m Anjali, and I’m a student at UC Berkeley studying Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. I’m incredibly passionate about education equity and minority empowerment, and am interested in creating accessible and low-cost educational technologies for students upon graduation. I started ProgramHers because I noticed a need in the greater Goleta community for computer science courses in which every student has equal opportunity to engage and learn. Having experienced the gender gap in computing firsthand, my goal is for these programs to not only inspire young girls to pursue computer science, but create a supportive community of STEM-focused young women that will carry on into the future.
Alessa Somer- President + Co-Founder
Alessa is a junior at Dos Pueblos High School in Santa Barbara, California. She loves math and STEM related activities, and is very passionate about access to education for children around the world, especially girl’s rights in school. Alessa united her two passions into ProgramHers, where she hopes to encourage girls to develop a passion and interest for programming, just as she has! Outside of her passion for STEM, Alessa enjoys playing tennis, reading, and designing clothes. She also loves to hike in the beautiful mountains of Santa Barbara.
Anna Roney- Leading Member
Anna is a junior at Dos Pueblos High School, who loves exploring new fields of technology and science. She is excited to be working with young girls that have similar interests to her, and expanding their fascination in STEM. She has been working with ProgramHers since 2018 and hopes to continue teaching throughout all of highschool. She joined because of her great interest in engineering, and a desire to show the next generation of girls that they can be confident while studying any field.
Mia Chou- Leading Member
Mia Chou is a student at Dos Pueblos High School and a proud member of the ProgramHers Team. She is passionate about environmental issues and also strongly believes in the importance of education for young girls. She hopes to do her part in giving the girls in her community the most opportunities that they can have. She also enjoys playing tennis, piano and having fun with her friends. She hasn’t decided what career she would like to pursue when she gets older, but she knows she wants to be a good person.
