OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Tiffany Gamble says Black girls often lose interest in math and science in junior high, with minorities and women underrepresented in STEM fields.
As 3 News Now Anchor Serese Cole reports, that's why she created a company to help Black girls and Black women excel in technology.
Class is over for the day at Mars Middle School, but in one room, the learning is just beginning.
The students are staying after school to discover the world of tech, something Gamble says is important for minorities, especially African Americans.
"Black people only account for 8% of the tech careers," Gambled explained. "Black women only account for about 1% of tech workers in that space so we have a huge gap."
It's Gamble's goal is to change that.
In 2017, she created Emerging Ladies Academy, a non-profit in North Omaha to empower Black girls in technology and expose them to STEM programs.
Her non-profit has been in five middle schools. As part of her program, kids learn how to create websites, webpages and more.
So far, so good.
"The reactions are like, 'Wow, first of all, she's a Black lady,' so representation matters. If they don't see you, then they don't recognize they can go in those spaces," she said with a smile.
Through engagement and hands-on experiments, Gamble makes technology relatable to students.
"They love drones and we talk about how drones are not toys. Look at it as a career. You can become a certified drone pilot, you can register your drone at 13-years-old," she said.
She also explained how lucrative the industry can be.
"When I show them the salary they can make, they're like, 'Oh, I need to do this," she laughed.
It's Gamble's dream come true.
"I had a dream, really an epiphany, about a girl's organization, wanting to give back," she said.
Her vision didn't stop with the Emerging Ladies Academy, she has now created her own company called the Gamble Tech Firm.
"My target is youth-involved institutions and adults that would like to learn more about technology," Gamble explained.
Her company offers services that include business and non-profit consulting and career tech consulting.
"We can develop programming for you and then if there's adults who want to go into a program with technology, I'm a career tech navigator. That means if you want to pivot your career and go to tech, I will walk you through the steps that you need to do that," she shared.
She's also a youth tech program developer.
"I see who is lacking tech programs. For example, childcare centers, they may not have a tech portion of programming in their curriculum, and I can come and create a tech corner," she explained.
Between her nonprofit and her business, she hopes to someday close the tech gap through awareness and education.
"And create generational wealth within specifically our Black community which is often left out of these spaces and it's like sounding the alarm. I'm sounding the alarm, saying, 'Hey, everybody pay attention, our world is shifting, we are going into more tech careers,'" she said passionately.
To learn more information about the Gamble Tech Firm, go to the company's Facebook or Instagram page @elaomaha or call (402) 763-0301.
The Gamble Tech Firm was a semi-finalist in the Pitch Black Contest.
The Pitch Black finale is tomorrow morning at 11:00 a.m.
The finalists will pitch their business plan one last time before a panel of judges. The winner will get $10,000. 3 News Now anchor Serese Cole will emcee the event.
If you'd like to watch the final round of the Pitch Black competition in person, it will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn in Omaha.
For a ticket to the event, go to the Midlands African Chamber's website.
KMTV's Serese Cole will be emceeing the finale.
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