( CNN ) -- The term `` software engineer '' conjures images of pasty-faced young men with poor posture and limited social skills . And people think fashion models are all beauty and no brains . At least , those are the stereotypes . So what will the world make of Lyndsey Scott , a model for Prada and Victoria 's Secret , who spends her spare time building mobile apps ? The 29-year-old has appeared in major magazines like Harper 's Bazaar , W and British Vogue , but seems more proud of getting her iPhone and iPad apps approved by Apple . `` With modeling , you never have control over anything , '' Scott told CNN . `` So being able to have complete power with these apps I develop is very fulfilling . '' Scott has built several apps for iOS platforms . Two are currently sold in the Apple store , and she 's preparing to release a social networking app in coming weeks . Before the self-taught programmer began modeling for high-end designers like Louis Vuitton , Prada , Gucci , Fendi and Vera Wang , she was an undiscovered New Jersey teen who loved playing calculator games . In high school , she taught herself the software documentation and quickly learned how to program on her TI-89 calculator . `` I did n't realize I was even coding at that point , '' Scott said . `` I first got into it just to make fun games and entertain myself . '' Her game-coding skills did n't score her many points with her classmates , however . The 5-foot-9-inch model said she was a late bloomer and that growing up `` is still hard to talk about '' because of the bullying and taunting she endured . `` It got so bad in high school I could n't even look people in the face , '' Scott said . `` I would hide out in school so I would n't have to eat lunch in the cafeteria or see people in between classes . '' At Amherst College , Scott learned coding languages Java , C++ and MIPS while majoring in theater and computer science . But instead of pursuing a programming career , she plunged into modeling . She got her big modeling break in 2009 when she became the first African-American to land an exclusive contract with Calvin Klein for New York Fashion Week . `` It happened at a time when there was no interest in me as a model , '' she said . `` I always dreamed of it , but I was n't expecting it at all . I was beyond surprised . '' That same year Scott was chosen for one of the year 's most coveted fashion shows : Victoria 's Secret . She said she was `` shocked and honored '' to join a lineup of supermodels including Heidi Klum , Miranda Kerr and Alessandra Ambrosio . Meanwhile , she continued challenging expectations by teaching herself how to program Python and Objective-C. `` I think a lot of models thought I was strange having a computer on my lap in the middle of a casting line , '' Scott said . `` I never really talked about programming in the modeling business . I kept the worlds very divided . '' Scott 's first iOS app was a charity-based project aimed at helping young scholars in Uganda . The app , Educate ! , finds sponsors for Ugandan students and guides them toward becoming leaders and entrepreneurs . `` I learned about Educate ! in college . It was an organization founded by two Amherst students . When I found out that Uganda has the youngest population in the world and the highest youth poverty rate , I wanted to get involved , '' she said . `` It was rejected ( by Apple ) a few times . I had a big battle with Apple , going back and forth , so it was a huge relief when it finally passed . '' She has since developed several more applications , including iPort , which helps models and other creative types organize their professional portfolios on an iPad . `` I noticed so many models were using iPads to show casting directors their work , but it looked messy and did n't have a nice interface , '' Scott said . `` So I made iPort as similar functionally as an actual portfolio but much more convenient . '' Her brother , Matthew , is one of her biggest fans . `` Lyndsey is a mix of Bill Gates and Giselle ( Bundchen ) , '' said Matthew Scott . `` She combines her passion for modeling and passion of coding to help improve our world . '' Last month , Scott visited a middle school in New York City 's Harlem neighborhood to speak with students interested in computer programming . `` We have this idea of people in technology being and looking a certain way , '' she said . `` That stereotype is destructive , and I think that 's part of the reason why female and minority programmers are so few . '' Scott said computer coding has now become a second professional life for her . She has plans for many more apps , and wants to learn coding for Android as well . The young dual-career woman would never have called herself a nerd while growing up because she saw it as a hurtful word at the time . `` But now that I 'm older , if it means being smart and having interests like computer science , then I have no problem being a nerd , '' she said .
Laura Scott models for Prada , Victoria 's Secret , Calvin Klein . She studied computer science in college and has built several apps for iOS devices . Scott : ` ` We have this trend of people in technology being and looking a certain way ''