The team starts to bond as they drive the Green RV into the heart of Silicon Valley, a major hub for innovation in technology. While there, they talk to Phillip Loya of CODE2040 and Laura Gómez of Atipica about using computer science to advance each of their respective communities. They also visit Netflix HQ, where Sabry Tozin, a first-generation Congolese immigrant, tells them, “Don’t fit in.”

Phillip Loya

Amie Tornincasa

Laura I. Gómez

Sabry Tozin

Public Television Season 13

Breaking Down Barriers

EPISODES

Leaders Interviewed

Meet Natalie, Robin, and Zoed, three computer science students from three very different backgrounds, all of which are underrepresented in tech. This season, the team will embark on a cross-country road trip to meet and interview trailblazing leaders in their field. Their journey begins in sunny Los Angeles, where they visit NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab and meet infamous computer hacker, Samy Kamkar.

Carolyn Parcheta

Samy Kamkar

Pumped and Ready

The road-trippers take a much-needed meditative break in Yosemite National Park before continuing on to DEF CON, a Las Vegas conference that dispels some of their misconceptions about “hackers.” Then it’s off to Denver, where the team lets loose at Sphero, a robotics company that puts an emphasis on fun. In Chicago, 3D printer Dima Elissa encourages the team to embrace their unique identities.

Ian Bernstein

Adam Wilson

Dima Elissa

Brent White

Jeff Moss

Amara Poolswasdi Hulslander

Tim Roberts

Get the Ball Rolling

The final week of the trip begins in New York, where the team sits down with the co-founders of New York on Tech, an organization providing tech-based training to low-income students in Brooklyn. The last leg of the journey takes the Green RV to Boston, Natalie’s hometown. After conducting their final interview at MIT, the team reflects on the friendships and lessons they’ll take home with them.

Aurélie Jean

André Bearfield

Julie Elberfeld

Jessica Santana

Evin Robinson

The Door's Wide Open

Code Trip

TEAMS IN THIS SEASON

GET THE DVD

Meet Natalie, Robin, and Zoed. They’re computer science students who come from backgrounds underrepresented in tech—and they’re on a mission to not just break into the industry, but diversify it. Eager to discover the career possibilities in this rapidly growing field—and encourage other women and minorities to do the same—they embark on a journey that proves you don’t have to fit mold to make it in tech; anyone has the potential to be a driver of innovation, discovery, and progress.

Public Television : Season 13, Breaking Down Barriers