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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

  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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