Maya Miller: Fearless Fashonista
“I was at a conference and I asked the cofounders of Instagram, Kevin Systrom and Mike Kriege, for a selfie. I thought, “Why not? Go for it!’” — Maya Miller
Meet Maya Miller, a junior in high school from the Bay Area. Self-described as a “Fearless Fashionista,” Maya stumbled upon Computer Science while on a flight. She’s now fearlessly merging her love of fashion with technology and hopes to start the next Gilt or Net-A-Porter.
Read more about Maya and her fashionista icons in our Q&A.
Q&A with Maya Miller:
How did you become fearless?
I’m not a shy person, but I’ve always been a bit doubtful in my abilities. During the Summer Immersion Program, we had to code an mp3 player. When I realized that I could use code to make something I use every day, it made me braver.
Why did you decide to join our movement of Girls Who Code?
I was on a flight from San Francisco to Chicago and met a Twitter engineer. I asked him what “being an engineer” was. I live in the Bay Area so I knew about technology but hadn’t ever tried Computer Science. The engineer told me about Girls Who Code and encouraged me to apply. I HAD to check it out!
I’m good at math and science in school but Girls Who Code made me step out of my comfort zone and dive into Computer Science. It gave me more adrenaline than any other activity!
Do you want to keep studying Computer Science?
I’m definitely going to study Computer Science in college. I never would have done that before Girls Who Code. After college, I would love to create a fashion-based tech company.
Why should girls learn Computer Science?
I want ALL minorities to get into coding. There are so many possibilities for innovation if other minorities code.
How does coding tie to your passions?
For our final project, my partner and I made a website called Style X. It’s where you can exchange style and clothing with other fashionistas.
Who are you fashionista role models?
Well, Rihanna, Zendaya, and Kim Kardashian are all really fearless with their fashion. Rihanna is definitely at the top of my list because she is willing to try anything! She can make anything look good, which not many people can do. I think it is her confidence that allows her to pull of crazy outfits and make them look high fashion and immaculate.
Also, Michelle Peluso, the Chief Strategic Advisor of Gilt Groupe, an online fashion website, is a pioneer in bridging the gap between fashion and technology, by combing them into a lucrative business. Natalie Massenet of Net-A-Porter.com has accomplished amazing things in the world of fashion and technology. As I want to have my own fashion technology company, it’s inspiring to look at these two women and know fashion and technology do mesh well together and can have a huge impact on not only the fashion world, but also the technology world.
Are you interested in learning how to code? Find a Girls Who Code club near you!
