Four-time World Cup champion skier Lindsey Vonn has a new passion: Bridging the gender gap in STEM and helping girls unlock the skills needed to pursue their dreams.
Through her nonprofit, the Lindsey Vonn Foundation, she has provided over 20 scholarships to our innovative all-girls program, Alexa Café. Earlier this month, she paid a visit to our campers at Caltech to witness the magic of our program firsthand.
“For us as a foundation, our mission is to empower young girls,” Lindsey explained. “Especially in roles or occupations that are generally male-dominated. That’s why iD Tech’s Alexa Café was a perfect partner for us.”
For those of you who are new to Alexa Café, the program is specially designed to engage girls ages 10-15 in coding, game development, robotics, AI, 3D printing, and design. With a focus on entrepreneurship, leadership, and social impact, girls learn to make a difference with tech through projects they find truly meaningful.
Such projects range from apps for charity and mobile games that connect long-distance friends, to 3D printed prosthetic limbs and robots that assist the disabled.
One Lindsey Vonn Foundation scholarship recipient, Emily, developed an app to help its users access affordable healthcare. Inspired by her own family’s struggles, she set out to create a tool that could profoundly impact the lives of others.
“It was incredible to meet Emily during my visit to Caltech. She’s an inspiration and she’s someone who I’m really proud to have represent our foundation,” Lindsey said. “She’s just one incredible example of the lives we’re able to improve and change together.”
The day of her visit, Lindsey spent time interacting with Emily and her peers, learning more about their projects and their aspirations for the future. To her, these types of experiences define the foundation and fuel her desire to help students on a personal level.
In a world where women make up less than 30% of the STEM workforce, the Lindsey Vonn Foundation’s efforts are pivotal. Our iD Tech family is grateful and excited to have joined forces with this powerful, passionate team.
Together, we’ll continue to enrich girls’ lives with inspired STEM education—and make the gender gap a thing of the past.
Alexa Café and our co-ed camps are still in session through August. Find a course near you.