When Tyriah Allison asked her mother if she could have some more games for her computer console as she was completing the levels far too quickly, she was told to try and make some of her own. While such a suggestion would trigger a terabyte-sized tantrum in some, Tyriah chose to meet her mother’s challenge head on and become a computer game and website developer … at the age of nine.
Now 12, Tyriah is one of a new generation of girls proving that technology is no longer just for boys. “I love the fact you can find anything and everything on the internet,” says Tyriah. “And if you know how to write code, the sky’s the limit for what you can create, too.”
Swiftly cracking the coding basics with the help of her programmer mother Pat, Tyriah was soon using Scratch, JavaScript, Python, CSS and HTML to design websites and games. Her talent for technology hasn’t gone unnoticed. Last year, Tyriah became the world’s youngest leader of a CoderDojo – a global network of over 650 free computer programming clubs for young people. “Tenacity is the foundation on which talent is built. No better proof of this exists than Tyriah,” says CoderDojo co-founder Bill Liao. “Talent here also comes with an extraordinarily generous heart.”
Tyriah’s self-confidence was highlighted in her address to over 300 titans of technology – including representatives from Sony, Google and Universal – at a recent programming seminar; her generosity in the weekly voluntary Dojo sessions she runs to teach other kids how to code. Recognising her achievements at a CoderDojo gathering at Buckingham Palace, the Duke of York – a champion of British science, technology and engineering – described Tyriah as “inspiring”.
Now Tyriah is also inspiring young people around the globe through GapKids ED, the new children’s collection for GapKids by Ellen DeGeneres, which celebrates girls, encouraging them to embrace their individuality. And if that wasn’t enough, she is also about to help tackle the problem of obesity with her soon-to-be-released app MeMe Life.
The app will encourage young people to exercise with wearable tech to track levels of physical activity, with rewards to keep up the motivation. Apart from its health benefits, Tyriah hopes it “will encourage other young coders to believe that, with a little imagination, anything is possible”.
Sign up for Tyriah’s app at MeMeLife.co
GapKids’ latest campaign GIRL with Ellen DeGeneres features modern girls who are reaching their dreams and igniting change. Gap’s campaign is not encouraging them to be more like boys, but rather to be exactly who they are.
Girl empowerment begins with us all.
Introducing GapKids ED
For doers, dancers and dreamers, bikers, boarders and builders – the GapKids ED collection is empowering girls everywhere. A collaboration with Ellen DeGeneres’ new lifestyle brand, ED – available at Gap stores and online at gap.co.uk/ed
