Sofia Ong'ele (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.
Early life and education Ong'ele was born and raised in Santa Clarita, California, and began programming at age 15. In an interview with Bloomberg News, Ong'ele 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. She then attended Apple's Engineering Technology Camp, and in 2020 was named a winner of Apple's WWDC20 Swift Student Challenge.
At age 17 she created her first app, ReDawn, which is meant to support sexual assault survivors. She also began providing coding mentoring to her peers.
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ong'ele began posting on TikTok, discussing her experiences as a Black woman living in the United States, and social causes such as reproductive rights. She has accumulated more than 300,000 followers on TikTok. In 2023, Ong'ele was one of three Gen-Z content creator-activists who joined the Sustainable Media Center’s Board of Advisors.Sustainable Media Center. Board, Trustees, and Advisory Board Members. Board of Advisors. https://sustainablemedia.center/board/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/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
Ong'ele graduated from Columbia University in 2024 with a bachelor's degree in Computer and Information Sciences. She joined the anti-war protests at the university in April 2024.
Awards Ong'ele has garnered recognition, including receiving the California Endowment Voices for Change Award and was honored as a CES Young Innovator to Watch.
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