Written by volunteer Alison Perch

Companies and organizations play a vital role in supporting TechGirlz’ mission. One such business, Bentley Systems, has hosted TechShopz and funded programs to help girls explore the possibilities of technology.

Bentley Systems is a software development company that helps engineers and other professionals manage the world’s infrastructure. Bentley has run Robotics Programming with LEGO MINDSTORMS®, a highly popular TechShop, at their corporate headquarters in Exton, PA. The company has also provided a grant to support an Intro to Arduino Programming workshop at Glenside Library.

A long-time Bentley Systems employee, Dan Koval, plays a key role in inspiring middle school girls to become tomorrow’s tech leaders. Not only does Dan volunteer with TechGirlz locally, but he also shares our curriculum when traveling to other Bentley Systems offices.

Dan has worked at Bentley for the past decade, primarily in tech support. His love of technology was fostered by his 11th grade math teacher, who encouraged Dan to pursue an interest in mathematics and push himself academically. As soon as Dan learned about TechGirlz, he decided to inspire the next generation of students to become passionate about STEM.

After running the Robotics Programming workshop with Bentley Systems, Dan was surprised by how many girls were interested in learning about tech outside of school. The TechShop was so successful that Bentley ended up running it twice! Dan notes that the class was easy to run and organize, thanks to the TechShopz in a Box™ program.

Dan encourages other businesses to get involved with TechGirlz and empower girls to become confident technology users.

“I personally did not have an interest in STEM until I was in the field. I think that TechGirlz gives the next generation an opportunity to see what is available to them at a young age,” Dan says.