Karlie Kloss' "nerdy passions" inspired her to launch Kode with Klossy.
Karlie Kloss
The 24-year-old former Victoria's Secret Angel launched the scholarship scheme for young adults interested in computer science in 2015 and she has revealed she has always been "fascinated" by how things worked and was eager to understand the "secret language" of coding, which encouraged her to set up the technical programme.
Speaking to Fast Company magazine about her career and inspiration, the blonde beauty - who is currently studying at New York University - said: "I like knowing how apps and hardware work and why.
"As a model, I was meeting all these entrepreneurs and was fascinated by the things they were building. But I couldn't understand how [these products] worked. What did they know that I didn't? What secret language was this code thing? I follow my nerdy passions, even if they are kind of unexpected.
"Creative problem solving, it takes a while to get something to work. It takes a while before you can build an app or even write your first line of code. But these skills - seeing a problem and finding the solution using code - are so important. [They] help you understand how to think about things. It's a valuable skill set even if you don't become an engineer."
And the model - who has starred in campaigns for renowned fashion houses such as Coach and Nike - has admitted her father, Kurt Kloss, played a large influence on her as she grew up watching him work long hours and late nights.
She explained: "I am the daughter of an emergency-room physician, and I've watched my dad work 12-hour night shifts for as long as I can remember. It's inspired me and is definitely a part of who I am and the way I live."
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