WeCode2 is the brainchild of Keith Odom.  Mr. Odom is a self-described “techie”.  He developed this passion while serving as a Senior Fiscal Officer (Controller) with Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) prestigious Media Lab.  The Media Lab is MIT’s premiere research lab for new and emerging science and technology. The Lab creates disruptive technologies that happen at the edges, pioneering such areas as wearable computing, tangible interfaces, and affective computing.

 

Today, Mr. Odom is the CEO & Solution Architect at Axtegrity Consulting, a Gold Certified Microsoft partner specializing in ERP consulting, implementations, digital transformation and custom APP development.

 

While attending Microsoft’s Tech Summit in Seattle, WA a few years ago, Mr. Odom noticed that out of the thousands of attendees, less than 1% of the attendees were African American.  The vast majority of those attending Microsoft’s Tech Conference were Indians, Asians or Caucasians. 

 

When Mr. Odom returned from that tech conference, he felt an incredible burden to introduce African American children in the inner-city to technology.   After spending several years of conducting research and looking at options, WeCode2 was born.

 

The concept is clear.  During the summer break while parents are looking for suitable alternatives to give their children something to do, let’s take this opportunity to offer a creative summer STEAM camp.  Perhaps this introduction to technology will inspire those participating to at least consider careers in technology or science.