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Catt Small

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Catt Small is an African American product designer, game developer, web developer, and community organizer. She is known for her efforts in enhancing diversity within the tech and gaming industries and for mentoring upcoming developers.

Early life and education

Catherine Small was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Small learned how to code around the age of 10. At the age of 15, while attending LaGuardia High School, she started an apprenticeship at an all girls marketing firm called 3iYing. While at 3iYing, Small would go on to study and further develop her skills in web design and marketing.

Upon graduating high school, Catt Small attended the School of Visual Arts, where she earned a BFA in Graphic Design in 2011. Then in 2016, Small earned a master's degree in Integrated Digital Media from the New York University Tandon School of Engineering.

Career

While attending New York University, Catt Small was awarded a Generation Google Scholarship. Just a few weeks after earning her master's degree, the inaugural Brooklyn Innovation Awards recognized her for her efforts to bring more women and people of color into the gaming world, and later named her Technologist of the Year. In 2016, Small alongside fellow game developer Chris Algoo, co-founded the Game Devs of Color Expo to increase diversity and celebrate the contributions of people of color within and behind the gaming industry.

In 2019, Catt Small released a decision-based game called SweetXheart. The game follows the life of a young Black woman and explores themes such as microaggressions, race, and gender. SweetXheart was recognized for its unique approach to raising awareness about the challenges faced by women of color.

After graduating from the School of Visual Arts, she was recruited for a full-time position in coding and web design at NASDAQ. She has also worked as a product designer at Etsy, and contributed to creating features for the SoundCloud app. Catt Small is working as a staff product designer at Dropbox, as the executive director of the Game Devs of Color Expo, and offers mentorship sessions to junior tech developers.

References

  1. ^ Scott, Brianna (2023-03-20). "The number of Black video game developers is small, but strong". NPR. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
  2. ^ Clark, Kevin L. (2014-07-03). "Script of Success: Tech Phenom Catt Small Talks Black Girls Coding, Diversity In Gaming". Black Enterprise. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  3. ^ "Spotlight on Alum Catt Small". NYU Tandon School of Engineering. 2019-02-04. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  4. ^ Hurst, Nathan (2019-01-10). "Nine Innovators to Watch in 2019". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  5. Mullins, Lisa; Perkins Mastromarino, James (2024-09-24). "Game Developers of Color address industry layoffs, generative AI amid resurgent harassment campaign". WBUR. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  6. Futter, Michael (2019-03-20). "Indie Devs Sound Off on Diversity, Ethics, Deadlines Without Crunch". Variety. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
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