[2] Allen attended Brown University in Rhode Island, where she majored in computer science and visual arts.
[1][3][4] In 2013, Allen was selected for the Presidential Innovation Fellows program working with the Smithsonian Institution.
[7] In the Silicon Valley community, Allen contributes her time to improving the representation of women in technology as the president of RailsBridge, which aims to "bridge the gap from aspiring developer to contributing open source community member through mentoring, teaching and writing".
[9] Allen was honored on Ada Lovelace Day by the Bay Area Girl Geek Dinners in 2010[10] and participated in the mobile-themed Google Tech Talk at the company's headquarters in Mountain View.
In 2013, Allen was chosen as a Presidential Innovation Fellow and worked for six months with the Smithsonian Institution.