Fem Bosses: Meet Lyndsey Scott Supermodel & Coder
Source: Quora.com
Behind every innovative idea is an individual with a wealth of talent who brings it to marketplace. Now, think modern day technological advancements. To your knowledge, how many would you say were created and deployed into the marketplace by women? One? Five? Twenty? None that you know of? Fact is there are women in technology who are blazing the trail but may not get the publicity and/or support that their idea and work deserves.
Earlier this year, we learned of Lyndsey Scott, a young developer and supermodel, whose years of programming experience can give any male coder a run for their money. She’s modeled for brands such as Cover Girl, Diane von Furstenberg, DKNY, Hugo Boss, MAC Cosmetics, Tracy Reese and Victoria’s Secret. You may have also seen her in high-end publications like British Vogue, Elle Italia and W, to name a few. In her interview with Carmel Deamicis at PandoDaily, Scott shared that her lucrative career in modeling began three years after graduating from Amherst. She became the first African American woman to model exclusively for Calvin Klein (CK), a brand that had previously received a lot of flak for their preference for models of Caucasian descent. The CK contract opened up a lot of doors for her, giving her the opportunity to hit the catwalk for luxury brands like Fendi, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada and Vera Wang during Fashion Weeks around the world.
Source: LydseyScott.com
Now, according to her public profile on stack overflow, she is using her computer science degree from Amherst and knowledge of various programming languages—i.e. C++, Java, Objective C, MIPS, Python and iOS—to develop lifestyle applications for end users in various industry segments. Beauty and Brains does not come close to describing the 29-year old theater and computer science double major and founder of Standable Inc – Apps by Lyndsey Scott. “If I had to liken her to someone, I’d say she’s like Gisele Bundchen mixed in with Bill Gates,” her youngest brother Matthew Scott told Deamics during the interview with PandoDaily. “
In a Q&A with Business Insider’s Kyle Russell, Scott shared that she started coding when she was in middle school. Today, two of her eight apps are in the marketplace and available at the Apple store for both iPhone and iPad devices. The first is an app called Educate! developed to sponsor young scholars in Uganda. The second is an app called iPort, developed for models to manage their portfolio. In her interview with Deamicis, Scott revealed, ‘I built that app because it was something I personally needed,’ she told the site of iPort. ‘My book always ends up looking terrible, the books fall apart, the pages are tearing, it’s dirty, and it’s a mess.’ Scott is currently working on a third social networking app that she says will “help people develop romantic, friendship, and professional connections” writes Deamics.
Source: LyndseyScott.com
Recently, she talked about how her popularity as a femme geek has revealed an unfair disparity in the way women within the tech industry segment are viewed. According to that interview with Elle:
In college I never felt a need to prove myself since programming came so naturally to me. But now that I’ve been talking to a lot of men in the technology field over the past few weeks, I’m noticing a moment in each initial conversation where they’re surprised that I actually really know my stuff —where they’ll say something like, “If I ever doubted you before, I definitely don’t doubt you now.” I don’t personally feel any need to prove myself, but, yeah, to be honest, it’s a little insulting to not initially be taken seriously. I can see why women might be deterred from entering the technology field if that’s the sort of treatment they get, but at this point in my life, especially being a model, I have a pretty tough skin and I’m not bothered enough by it to be discouraged.
More about Scott’s latest iPort app:
So, what are your thoughts? Feel free to share your insights via the comment section, or email me at managingeditor@innov8tiv.com. Also, follow me on Twitter @MUIPR.
