Kate Kirwin is the founder of She Codes Australia, an organization dedicated to empowering women with the skills and confidence to enter tech careers. Born in regional Western Australia, Kate has turned her passion for community building into a massive movement, providing coding education to thousands of women and issuing over 2.5 million dollars in scholarships. Her impactful work earned her the title of WA’s 2024 Young Australian of the Year.
In this interview, Kate shares why she built a community she could not find, how she manages the logistics of regional events, and why keeping a personal “wall of power” helps her stay grounded on the hard days.
You founded She Codes Australia to empower women with the skills and confidence to enter tech careers. Drawing from your background in charity and tech events, what was the initial spark that made you realize this specific community needed to be built?
I had no tech background going into this. I was 21, had just started working for a coworking space and surrounded by entrepreneurs, innovators and changemakers. As a creative, I found tech fascinating – like adding the right ingredients together to make something unique. I started teaching myself but quickly found myself stuck.
Looking around at the communities that existed – there were none that were designed for me. There were highly technical meetups full of jargon and acronyms, and startup folks talking about products but nothing in the middle – for curious folks interested in learning.
Being born in regional WA has clearly shaped your passion for supporting women in remote areas. How do you manage the logistical and energetic demands of reaching communities that are traditionally left out of the tech conversation?
Regional events are the hardest and most rewarding. It’s no secret that Western Australia is a big place, and that things get more expensive the further you go from Perth. Australia is quite unique in that regard; we have dispersed and distributed communities across a huge landmass. Western Australia is 3.7 times the size of Texas, with less than one-tenth of the population.
I just came back from Broome a few weeks back, where we held an event for more than a dozen local women. One came to the workshop with a dream to digitise the paper forms they use daily at the local surf club. Another runs the after-school STEM program at the local library. Another had recently built a drag-and-drop website in Shopify but needed support connecting her domain name to get the page live. There are so many talented people in our regions and they deserve the same access to opportunities as women in the city.
She Codes has provided education to thousands and issued over $2.5 million in scholarships. With such a massive scale of impact, how do you personally measure success on a day-to-day basis without getting overwhelmed by the big numbers?
For me personally, it’s important for me to have a connection to the She Coders my work supports. Not their story, not the person they represent, but the actual woman. Sophie. Ellen. Sarah. Lucy. Carolyn. Kaycee. There are so many names I could mention. But to me that’s what impact is – seeing the difference I’ve made in their lives and the things they’ve shared with me. In my office I built myself a ‘wall of power’ which is a series of photos of moments I’ve felt powerful over my career.
Sometimes it’s the little things like an event I’m particularly proud of, and some are the big things – like meeting the Prime Minister at The Lodge over morning tea. My wall of power is the visual cue for me when it’s a hard day – if that previous Kate was powerful once, this current Kate can be powerful again too. I highly recommend everyone keep those moments somewhere accessible – a spreadsheet of wins, a note in your notes app, or a series of photos on your wall or in a photo album.
Managing a growing organization and building thriving communities requires a lot of personal energy. What does your morning routine look like before you dive into emails and start making high-level decisions?
I wish I had one! I thrive on a little chaos (we call it Kate-os) and every day for me looks a little different. I have a few non-negotiables: my peanut butter cruskits, and the specific type of tea I start each morning with. I even pack my own teabags when I travel to have some on the plane, or in my hotel (don’t even get me started on the fact that hotels in the US don’t have kettles…).
You were named WA’s 2024 Young Australian of the Year and have won numerous other awards. Does that level of public recognition add extra pressure to your work, and how do you protect your mental health when the spotlight is on you?
During the Australian of the Year awards process they were very clear with us “this is a recognition, not a job”. I’m grateful for that line being drilled into us over and over again. I absolutely do think that we all have a responsibility to be good role models for future generations – regardless of our title or platform. Being a role model is such a privilege and an honour, and it’s not something I take lightly. At the end of the day though, we must put our own mask on before helping others. I have an incredible support network – my raft which keeps me floating. I know that group of women will give me a pep talk, or jump in and give me a hand if I ask them.
Your motto is “Always Bring the Sparkle”. When your energy is running low and you need to recharge your own sparkle, what are your non-negotiable habits for switching off from work?
I love being in nature – a beach walk can put things in perspective, or listening to the birds chatting on a bush walk. I consider myself an ambivert: some days I get energy from spending time with others, and some days I need some quiet time with a cup of tea and TV.
