Sofia Ongele

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Sofia Ongele (born 21 September 2000) is an American software developer and hacktivist. She is the Director of Digital Strategy at Gen-Z for Change and starred in the 2022 Disney+ documentary Growing Up.[1]

Early life and education

Sofia Ongele was born and raised in Santa Clarita, California, and began programming at age 15. In an interview with Bloomberg News, Ongele said she attended Kode with Klossy, a summer class for young girls from the ages of 13 to 18, which was created by fashion model Karlie Kloss.[2][3] She then attended Apple's Engineering Technology Camp, and in 2020 was named a winner of Apple's WWDC20 Swift Student Challenge.[4]

At age 17 she created her first app, ReDawn, which is meant to support sexual assault survivors.[5] She also began providing coding mentoring to her peers.

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ongele began posting on TikTok, discussing her experiences as Black woman living in the United States, and social causes such as reproductive rights.[6][7] She has accumulated more than 300,000 followers on TikTok. In 2023, Ongele was one of three Gen-Z content creator-activists who joined the Sustainable Media Center’s Board of Advisors.[8][9][10]

Ongele plans to graduate from Columbia University in May 2024 with a bachelor's degree in Computer and Information Sciences. She joined the anti-war protests at the university in April 2024.[11][12]

Awards

Ongele has garnered recognition, including receiving the California Endowment Voices for Change Award and was honored as a CES Young Innovator to Watch.[6]

References

  1. ^ Guttmann, Graeme (3 September 2022). "Yara Shahidi & Sofia Ongele Interview: Growing Up". ScreenRant. Archived from the original on 2022-09-05. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
  2. ^ DeMuro, Rich (22 June 2020). "19-year old app developer believes coding can be a catalyst for change". KTLA. Archived from the original on 2024-03-20.
  3. ^ "Meet the College Student Who Created the ReDawn App". Bloomberg News. 19 June 2020. Retrieved 2024-05-08.
  4. ^ Thorpe, JR (20 February 2024) [30 June 2020]. "3 Student App Developers At WWDC On Creating Tech For Social Justice". Bustle. Archived from the original on 2023-02-05. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
  5. ^ Appleton, Aleksandra (19 December 2019). "App that helps sexual assault survivors among CES award finalists". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on 2024-03-20. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
  6. ^ a b Ongele, Sofia (n.d.). "Sofia Ongele's TED talks". TED Conferences. Archived from the original on 2024-05-01. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
  7. ^ Latifi, Fortesa (28 December 2021). "4 TikTokers Who Use Their Platforms to Make Change Offline". Teen Vogue. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on 2023-11-03. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
  8. ^ Sustainable Media Center. Board, Trustees, and Advisory Board Members. Board of Advisors. https://sustainablemedia.center/board/
  9. ^ Fox 59. Troesken, Ongele, Joseph join Sustainable Media Center Board of Advisors. Jun 13, 2023. https://fox59.com/business/press-releases/ein-presswire/639111301/troesken-ongele-joseph-join-sustainable-media-center-board-of-advisors/
  10. ^ Bauder, David. "Media entrepreneur unites young activists with power brokers for fight to make social media safe”. AP News. October 5, 2023. https://apnews.com/article/social-media-youth-activism-algorithms-723a641716c0031911253abec0581271
  11. ^ Campbell, Monica; Kaff, Alisa Shodiyev; Hoffman, Christopher (26 April 2024). "What students say about the protests rocking their campuses". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2024-04-27.
  12. ^ Holtermann, Callie; Garcia, Sandra E.; Rojas, Frank (29 April 2024) [26 April 2024]. "Denied a Second Chance at a Normal Senior Year". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2024-05-01. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
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