Walmart Expands Investment in CodePath to Create Pathways to Tech Careers for Underrepresented Students

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today CodePath.org, the national nonprofit transforming college computer science education, announced that Walmart will be investing $1.6 million through the Walmart.org Center for Racial Equity to expand CodePath's curriculum into more HBCUs in partnership with the 1890 Universities Foundation, prepare students for technical internships, and scale the Summer Internship for Tech Excellence (SITE) Program, a paid work and learning program for rising juniors.

"Walmart's investment through the Walmart.org Center for Racial Equity aims to strengthen the post-secondary education system for Black and African Americans," said Patti Constantakis, director, Center for Racial Equity at Walmart. "CodePath's partnership with the 1890 Universities Foundation is critical to ensuring more historically black colleges and universities serve as on-ramps to careers in technology."

CodePath has proven to increase diversity in tech as they help students learn in-demand technical skills, secure their first internships, gain access to social capital and ultimately, become successful engineering leaders and entrepreneurs.

"The 1890 Foundation is pleased to be in partnership with CodePath and Walmart to expand this transformative resource to more of our 1890 universities," said Dr. Mortimer Neufville, president and CEO of 1890 Universities Foundation. "The cutting-edge, real-world computer science curriculum taught by CodePath's programmers and engineers is creating a path for our 1890 students to succeed in today's evolving tech industry." 

This marks Walmart's second investment due to CodePath's ability to offer college computer science students a complete path to success in the tech industry. Since CodePath's launch in 2017 with less than 200 students, the nonprofit has enrolled over 10,000 students to date, 70% of which come from Black, Latinx, or low-income backgrounds, and tripled their presence on college campuses across the country.

"CodePath is closing the opportunity gap for students of color in tech, as we create more access to resources and support networks for them," said Michael Ellison, CEO and co-founder of CodePath.org. "We are thrilled to continue to work with Walmart and the 1890 Foundation to expand our curriculum to more college communities, and create career opportunities for underrepresented students to pursue and flourish in tech post graduation."

CodePath transforms computer science education for underrepresented minorities and students from low income backgrounds at over 300 colleges and universities. We offer free, supplemental courses in cybersecurity, mobile app development and technical interview preparation, as well as career services to create successful pathways for students to achieve technical excellence. To date, CodePath has served over 10,000 students, of which 70% represent underserved communities. By working closely with partners like Andreessen Horowitz, Cognizant, Comcast, Facebook, Walmart, and Workday, CodePath is systematically changing CS programs to increase diversity in tech. CodePath is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. To learn more, visit www.codepath.org

The 1890 Universities Foundation mobilizes and manages resources to facilitate broad based programs, initiatives, and approaches across the 1890 universities system. They provide a mechanism for the universities to respond to new and emerging issues and challenges in the 21st century. As they foster critical collaborative projects across the 1890 universities, their objective is to discover practical and meaningful solutions to the compelling economic, social and environmental challenges faced by Black communities today. To learn more, visit www.1890foundation.org 

The Walmart.org Center for Racial Equity was founded by Walmart and the Walmart Foundation through a $100 million commitment over five years to address the drivers of systemic racism in society and accelerate change. The center's initiatives will fund research, advocacy, innovation of practices and tools, stakeholder convening and non-profit capacity building with a focus on four systems: finance, health, education and criminal justice. The mission of the center is to complement and extend the societal impact of Walmart business initiatives to advance racial equity within these four systems, and our work extends the overarching philanthropic work of Walmart.org. To learn more, visit Center for Racial Equity.

SOURCE CodePath.org