AKAM Akamai Technologies Inc

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., June 24, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), the global leader in content delivery network (CDN) services, announced today its continued partnership with Girls Who Code – a national non-profit organization that aims to inspire, educate and equip young women for futures in computing-related fields.  Akamai will serve as a host company for the organization's acclaimed seven-week Summer Immersion Program (taking place at Akamai's Cambridge headquarters from June 27 – August 12).   

The Summer Immersion Program will reach 1,560 rising 11th and 12th grade girls this summer across 78 programs in 11 cities including Boston, New York, Chicago, DC, Los Angeles, Miami, Seattle, Newark, and across the San Francisco Bay Area, with programs being held in Austin and Atlanta for the first time.  The program in Boston will be supported and hosted in partnership with Akamai, Microsoft, TripAdvisor, Twitter and Verizon @ MIT Lincoln Lab.

"The imbalance in the numbers of women focused on careers in computer science, software development and Internet technologies continues to be one of our industry's biggest challenges," said Dr. Tom Leighton, Chief Executive Officer at Akamai. "Partnering with Girls Who Code is an important step towards better preparing young women for technology jobs – an investment, we believe, is vital to the future of technology and innovation."

"Too often girls don't pursue computer science because they've never been exposed to it, or they don't see the impact it can make on the world," said Girls Who Code Founder and CEO, Reshma Saujani. "By actually embedding classrooms in today's leading companies that create products girls use every day, we show them, 'Look, you can do this. You can code this. This is a world that is open to you, and once you learn this skill set, the possibilities are endless.'"

The seven-week Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program embeds classrooms in major media and tech companies and universities. Students learn the fundamentals of computer science from robotics to how to build a webpage while gaining exposure to the tech industry and mentorship from women working in technology. No prior coding experience is required.

"We are honored to partner with important enrichment groups such as Girls Who Code," said Kate Jenkins, Chief Architect of Mapping Engineering at Akamai and Akamai's technical advisor to the Girls Who Code program.  "It is a priority at Akamai to hire diverse talent, build connections to retain these employees, and to foster a community that supports professional and personal growth. We applaud the passion of the Girls Who Code initiative, and hope each of the participants in this summer immersion program find inspiration to consider a career in technology."

To visit a Summer Immersion Program in the area, please contact Christina Honeysett at christina@girlswhocode.com or (917) 717-1816.

About Girls Who Code

Girls Who Code is a national non-profit organization working to close the gender gap in technology. Through its Summer Immersion Program and Girls Who Code Clubs, the organization is leading the movement to inspire, educate, and equip young women with the computing skills to pursue 21st century opportunities. Additional information is available at www.girlswhocode.com.

About Akamai

As the global leader in Content Delivery Network (CDN) services, Akamai makes the Internet fast, reliable and secure for its customers. The company's advanced web performance, mobile performance, cloud security and media delivery solutions are revolutionizing how businesses optimize consumer, enterprise and entertainment experiences for any device, anywhere. To learn how Akamai solutions and its team of Internet experts are helping businesses move faster forward, please visit www.akamai.com or blogs.akamai.com, and follow @Akamai on Twitter.

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SOURCE Akamai Technologies, Inc.