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Episode No. 4 - Matt Stephenson - Creating Diversity in STEM
In this episode, Bevon chats with Matt Stephenson.
Matt Stephenson is the CEO and Co-Founder of Code2College, an Austin, TX-based nonprofit that is building a national network of diverse, college-going technical talent. Through its skills-based, volunteer-driven program model, high school students – who are primarily Black, brown, and girls – develop coding and professional skills, gain exposure to a variety of STEM industries through case competitions and workshops, and build competence, confidence, and a deep network through mentorship relationships with industry volunteers.
In Fall of 2016, Matt launched Code2College as a pilot in two Austin area schools serving 30 students, but the organization has since served nearly 2,000 students. And last year, amidst the pandemic, Code2College accelerated its national scale and now delivers programming in 15 cities across the country including Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Denver, Houston, Atlanta, and Charlotte.
Under Matt’s leadership, Code2College has become the national leader in preparing girls and students of color for STEM undergraduate majors and careers through paid, technical high school internships. These highly competitive technical internship placements continue to be one of Code2College’s key differentiators as these students are able to launch their careers in software engineering, AR/VR, and other technical fields at leading companies including Atlassian and VMware prior to entering college.
Matt started his career in K12 education as a high school math teacher and Leadership Fellow, at Achievement First Public in New Haven, CT. He has served as an Associate Partner at NewSchools Venture Fund, as well as the Director of Finance for KIPP Austin Public Schools. Prior to his stint in education, Matt was an Analyst at Goldman Sachs as well as an Internship Program Manager for Sponsors for Educational Opportunity. Matt holds a M.B.A. in Entrepreneurial Management from The Wharton School and a BS in Finance and Information Systems from the Stern School of Business at New York University.
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By Bevon JosephIn this episode, Bevon chats with Matt Stephenson.
Matt Stephenson is the CEO and Co-Founder of Code2College, an Austin, TX-based nonprofit that is building a national network of diverse, college-going technical talent. Through its skills-based, volunteer-driven program model, high school students – who are primarily Black, brown, and girls – develop coding and professional skills, gain exposure to a variety of STEM industries through case competitions and workshops, and build competence, confidence, and a deep network through mentorship relationships with industry volunteers.
In Fall of 2016, Matt launched Code2College as a pilot in two Austin area schools serving 30 students, but the organization has since served nearly 2,000 students. And last year, amidst the pandemic, Code2College accelerated its national scale and now delivers programming in 15 cities across the country including Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Denver, Houston, Atlanta, and Charlotte.
Under Matt’s leadership, Code2College has become the national leader in preparing girls and students of color for STEM undergraduate majors and careers through paid, technical high school internships. These highly competitive technical internship placements continue to be one of Code2College’s key differentiators as these students are able to launch their careers in software engineering, AR/VR, and other technical fields at leading companies including Atlassian and VMware prior to entering college.
Matt started his career in K12 education as a high school math teacher and Leadership Fellow, at Achievement First Public in New Haven, CT. He has served as an Associate Partner at NewSchools Venture Fund, as well as the Director of Finance for KIPP Austin Public Schools. Prior to his stint in education, Matt was an Analyst at Goldman Sachs as well as an Internship Program Manager for Sponsors for Educational Opportunity. Matt holds a M.B.A. in Entrepreneurial Management from The Wharton School and a BS in Finance and Information Systems from the Stern School of Business at New York University.