Our Story
How Orange Elephant Began
A story of one parent's determination to change how children ages 5–12 learn technology.
Founded by an Industry Insider
Archana Sudamalla, an Electronics engineer and a Bio-Informatician from University of California Santa Cruz, founded in 2008 a data-analytics consulting firm — Integna — that serves some of the biggest names in the tech industry. This gives her a unique insider perspective to the tech industry.
Archana's initial foray into education occurred when her kids were attending the public schools in Los Angeles. She felt an enormous obligation to ensure her sons were getting the best possible exposure to technology, so she started volunteering at school.
Archana began participating in-school computer programs and joined the Common Core evaluation board. To her dismay, she found that the public school technology education was lagging way behind, even in some of the so-called "leading" public schools.
Archana with Orange Elephant alumni
Change Must Come from Outside
When she traveled to various school districts, as part of a work-related assignment, she found that this gap was only getting worse. It was more than evident that public education is a huge machine and trying to get it up to speed of how to educate the next generation of students is like turning around a cruise ship.
While there were a number of "coding camps" in Los Angeles — none focused on the most important skill for any technology job: Critical Thinking, Math Skills, Problem Solving, and Digital Safety!
Archana was convinced she could effectively teach computer science to kids ages 5–12 of any skill level by focusing on Critical Thinking and Problem Solving. She began devoting her time to this newfound passion with a small group of kids. Fortunately, it worked. Within weeks, young kids were programming complex applications and creating simulations of real-life problems!
Where We Are Today
Today, hundreds of kids ages 5–12 have come through Orange Elephant's programs and camps. They are continuing to learn academically rigorous material and loving it because they are deeply engaged.
"There has never been a better time to learn coding — and when you do, learn it from the ones who are involved in the Industry!"
Come See for Yourself
Visit us, talk to our students ages 5–12, and see what critical thinking education looks like in action.