Meet Our Founders
Kellie Banzon, Tanner Larson, and Gregory Chu are currently seniors at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, graduating in Spring 2020. Culture of Code started as their senior project.
Kellie Banzon
Producer & Assistant Director
Kellie is a Software Engineering senior at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. As a biracial womxn in tech, she is personally acquainted with the challenges of being a female engineer. In many ways, Culture of Code is inspired by Kellie’s story - the common story of sexism, microaggressions, lack of support, and constant struggle for belonging and understanding that so many womxn in computing share. Kellie believes that disenfranchised and underprivileged groups are expected to stand up and fight for themselves too often. She believes in the power of allyship and advocacy, and she founded Culture of Code to apply those beliefs to the tech industry.
Kellie currently serves as the Diversity Director for the Women Involved in Software and Hardware (WISH) club at Cal Poly, where she is in charge of organizing events to promote community, connection, and support for minorities in engineering. In her free time, she enjoys doing acrobatic yoga, reading, and drinking boba. After graduation, she’ll be joining Apple as a AR/VR Engineer.
Tanner Larson
Editor &
Director of Photography
Tanner is a Software Engineering senior at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. He remembers walking into his first WISH (Women Involved In Software and Hardware) club meeting during freshman year and leaving shortly after, thinking that he didn’t belong. Through his work on Culture of Code, he has gained a new perspective about his role as a member of tech culture. He is so thankful to his teammates and the womxn who shared their stories and experiences. Tanner feels more informed, aware, and accountable because he got a glimpse into their lives. He hopes you will explore this site (especially the Ally Packs) with an open mind and take ownership of this systemic problem in small and big ways in your organizations and relationships.
In his free time, Tanner loves cooking, editing photos, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts like Reply All. After graduation, he is joining the startup Ridgeline as a Product Engineer, where he will help build cloud software for investment managers. He plans to continue empowering womxn and recruiting new allies in the male-dominated fintech space.
Gregory Chu
Writer & Director
Greg is a Computer Science senior at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Navigating tech culture for the past four years has taught Greg the ways that tech fails to offer empathy and understanding for its techies, especially minorities. The values within tech and corporate culture conflicted with his, creating an internal dilemma and anxiety that undermined his college experience and mental health. After experiencing firsthand how sensitivity and self-worth struggle to survive in tech culture, he knew he needed to try to change it. So he helped create Culture of Code, a space where he could combine tech and art — head and heart — to heal, create, and build a path towards an empathetic and understanding tech culture.
Outside of academics, Greg pursues creative ways to express himself, including screenwriting, photography, and drawing. He looks forward to exploring creative careers in film and tech after college.