Founding Sponsors
Institute for Education
The Institute for Education’s (IFE) is a founding sponsor of CS@SC. Over 4 years ago, IFE’s CEO Coach Kathy Kemper identified the need to offer basic CS training to low-income students. Not only has CS become a core skill like reading, writing, and arithmetic, but access to CS education opens up a world of possibility for students of all backgrounds. With a generous commitment of $120,000 IFE has worked to build CS@SC and educate over 1,500 young minds in collaboration with CS Professor Jeff Miller! IFE is a non-profit organization committed to engaging the global community to harness the power of soft diplomacy, innovation, and technology.
USC Viterbi School of Engineering
The USC Department of Computer Science, under the leadership of the department chair, Prof. Gaurav Saukatme, has an interest in furthering the education of all students, not just undergraduate and graduate students attending USC. USC’s Computer Science department has a student population with over 30% girls, nearly doubling the national average in female graduates from STEM fields. The department has generously provided in-kind and financial support to faciliate the CS@SC Summer Camps and allow more K12 students to attend the camps than otherwise would be possible.
Coach Kathy Kemper
Coach Kemper founded the Institute for Education (IFE) 30 years ago with a mission to harness the power of data, innovation, and soft diplomacy in the global community. IFE has hosted over 1700 speakers including Supreme Court justices, Presidents, Nobel Laureates, Senators, professional athletes, a former Miss America, and more! The former US Chief Technology Officer Megan Smith told Coach Kemper, “We need more girls and minorities in STEM.” Coach Kemper agreed and set out to do just that. Through her contacts as a collegiate tennis coach, she reached out to various university presidents and deans to create a coding camp, and after receiving an immediate response from USC, she and Prof. Miller founded the CS@SC Camps. The dedication and passion exhibited by Coach Kemper has continued to make the CS@SC Camps a leader in educating all kids in computer science. When we asked Coach for some professional advice, she said, “Relationships in life and business are critical. You want your personal life and professional life to blend, not bleed. That paves the way for the magic of a work-life balance. Make a learning list! Reskilling is a lifelong habit. Embrace change and disruption!”
The CS@SC Camps would not exist without Coach Kemper and IFE, and we are forever grateful for her support and guidance.
Partners
Participating School Districts
