On Saturday, dozens of young girls got a first-hand look at what it’s like to work in the tech industry.

The Oakland non-profit ‘Black Girls Code,’ aims to bridge the race and gender gap in the world of tech.

Girls from ages 6 to 17 participated in the event held at St. Mary’s College in Moraga. The focus of this year’s workshop was all about robots.

Black Girls Code was founded in the Bay Area seven years ago and they’re already changing the game in the tech industry.

Leah McGowen-Hare is a senior director at Salesforce and has been volunteering from the very beginning.

“One of the things that I missed growing up in the tech field, I got my science computer degree way back, but I didn’t see people who looked like me in that field,” McGowen-Hare said. “It’s hard to achieve it if you can’t see it”

The non-profit teaches participants skills that include learning how to build, code and create.

Both Belle Reader,12, and Cadence Patrick,15, have been members for three years. The girls said Black Girls Code is opening doors to the future.

Patrick hopes to work in the film industry and combine her love for tech.

She said, “There are so many different careers in that so I’m looking at things like animation, graphic design, storyboard artist.”

Saturday’s workshop cost about $35 each to attend.

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