Learn about TechWomen’s expansion to Chicago!

TechWomenTechWomen

TechWomen is an Initiative of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

  • Home
  • Program
    • Overview
    • 2022 Action Plans
    • Professional Development
    • Cultural Exchange
    • Delegation Trips
    • Impact
    • [email protected]
    • TechWomen Covid-19 Program Information
  • Participants
    • Eligibility and Application
    • The Experience
    • Award Details
    • 2022 Emerging Leader Profiles
  • Mentors
    • Why Mentor With TechWomen?
    • Professional Mentor Overview
    • Cultural Mentor Overview
    • Impact Coach Overview
    • TechWomen Mentor Application
  • Get Involved
    • TechWomen Chicago
    • Host an Emerging Leader
    • Host an Event
    • Other Ways to Get Involved
    • Host companies and partners
  • About Us
    • Who We Are
    • Our Team
    • Program Countries
    • Connect
  • FAQ
    • General
    • Participants
    • Mentors
  • Blog
  • Log In

Philosophical learnings from a journey to Silicon Valley

July 13, 2016 By TechWomen Leave a Comment

Guest post by Siphathisiwe Sibanda, 2015 fellow of Zimbabwe

“A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.”- Lao-tzu

Capping off five weeks of learning with a certificate of completion presented by Sheila Casey of the  U.S. State Department.

Capping off five weeks of learning with a certificate of completion presented by Sheila Casey of the U.S. State Department.

This journey started with a random message from my good friend with a link to the TechWomen website. She said she thought it sounded like something I would be interested in. Six months later, I was setting up my ‘Out of Office’ response at work before rushing home in a frenzy to pack for my flight to San Francisco the next day.

I left Durban for the TechWomen program with a lot of excitement but uncertainty, looking forward to learning new things but petrified of being in a new place with people I have never met before.

I spent five weeks learning from the most diverse people – intellectually, racially and culturally –that I left the program feeling I had traveled the world. The list of companies I had the pleasure to visit and learn from reads like a Fortune 500 list – Google, Facebook, Mozilla, Prospect Silicon Valley and LinkedIn.

Many of my fellow TechWomen will share the technical knowledge they gained from the program, learnings from mentorship and thoughts on being an entrepreneur or starting a business. I shared in those learnings, as well, but for this post, I would like to share my philosophical learnings.

Impossible is nothing.

Befriending so many women, I heard of how much adversity and challenges they have had to overcome to be where they are now. These are the most enduring women I have ever met. They are the embodiment of nothing being impossible. It is hard enough being a woman. Being a woman in STEM is a whole other level of difficulty, but spending time with these #IronSisters showed how there is nothing that you can’t achieve if you put your mind to it.

New friends Anatole Gahongayire of Rwanda, Siphathisiwe Sibanda of Zimbabwe and Joy Makumbe of Zimbabwe.

New friends Anatole Gahongayire of Rwanda, Siphathisiwe Sibanda of Zimbabwe and Joy Makumbe of Zimbabwe.

It really does take a village.

Madeline Albright once said, “There’s a special place in hell reserved for women who don’t help each other.” I believe that there’s a special place in history for women who do. TechWomen helped launch the #IronSisters campaign to help women push through that glass ceiling that prevents women from getting into STEM. We are never going to get anywhere if we do not help and uplift each other. We live in a man’s world, and until we unite, we will never take our place in the world as the innovators, leaders and nurturers that ensure that our children get to enjoy this world and all the great things it has to offer.

Learning about solar with SunEdison mentees, from left, Siphathisiwe Sibanda, Chantal Iribagiza, Eman Abusaada and Diana Tsoy.

Learning about solar with SunEdison mentees, from left, Siphathisiwe Sibanda, Chantal Iribagiza, Eman Abusaada and Diana Tsoy.

Only Africa can solve Africa’s problems.

I have been guilty of accusing everyone of not doing more for Africa. I went to my host company, SunEdison, with the mission of finding out why they were not bringing solar to Africa when it was quite clear that we needed it more than any other continent. It is in my time there that I realized that it is only us Africans who can solve our problems. We best understand the issues we face. We must learn as much as we can from the market leaders in technology, but it is up to us to engineer sustainable and workable solutions for the challenges we face in the Mother Land.

Looking back now, in participating in the TechWomen program, I have been given the burden of passing forward what has been afforded to me to the women in my community and country. It is a burden I am more than happy to carry because I believe in a brighter future for all in STEM, which, with the nurturing of the feminine touch, will go a long way into making our future bright.

Thank you once again to the TechWomen/IIE, mentors, host companies and the State Department for the amazing journey.

About the author

CaptureSiphathisiwe Sibanda relocated to Johannesburg, South Africa, in January 2016 to start a new position as a process engineer with Unilever. She was recruited as a graduate of the Unilever Future Leaders Program (UFLP). The program is an accelerated three-year development program designed to grow participants into managers through hands-on learning alongside world-class experts. She was a project engineer in her third rotation of the program and is part of a $40-million expansion project at one of the biggest savory plants in South Africa. Her other rotations in the program have included demand planning and customer development. She has been involved in sustainable projects within Unilever, as well. Siphathisiwe graduated from the University of KwaZulu Natal in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. She has a passion for promoting technical careers for women in Africa and is actively involved in encouraging girls around her community to follow such careers.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Email

Filed Under: 2015 Program, Alumnae, Cultural Exchange, Impact, Solar Power, Sub-Saharan Africa Tagged With: 2015 program, Africa, guest post, zimbabwe

Speak Your Mind Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 892 other subscribers

Recent Posts

  • Morocco Day 5: Day of Mentorship and Networking with Hello Women, DigiGirlz, TechGirls and Mohammed VI Polytechnic University
  • Morocco Day 4: TechWomen delegation supports launch of Titrit mentoring platform and engages with local entrepreneurs
  • Morocco Day 3: Celebrating 10 Years of TechWomen in Morocco
  • Morocco Day 2: Mentors Dive into U.S. Embassy and Exchange Alumni Impact and Form Focus Groups for Fellow-founded Mentorship App
  • A Moment of Truth, A Moment of Providence: Exploring the life-changing impact of TechWomen with Moroccan Fellow Rahma Tizzane

Categories

  • 2012 Program
  • 2013 Program
  • 2014 Program
  • 2015 Program
  • 2016 Program
  • 2017 Program
  • 2018 Program
  • 2019 Program
  • 2020 Program
  • 2022 (Fall) Program
  • 2022 program
  • Alumnae
  • Announcements
  • Application Tips
  • Central Asia
  • Conferences
  • Cultural Exchange
  • Delegation Trips
  • Emerging Leader Voices
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Girls Education
  • IIE
  • Impact
  • Lean In
  • Mentor Application
  • Mentoring Girls
  • Mentorship
  • Middle East and North Africa
  • Partnerships
  • Professional Development
  • Scholarship
  • Seed Grant
  • Solar Power
  • STEM
  • Sub-Saharan Africa
  • Technology
  • Uncategorized
  • Washington, D.C.

Archives

  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011

Tags

2013 program 2014 program 2015 program Africa Algeria Alumnae application careers central asia Community cultural exchange Cultural Mentor delegation trips Education Egypt emerging leaders emerging women leaders Empowerment Entrepreneurship guest post impact Jordan kazakhstan Leadership MENA Mentees Mentor Mentors mentorship Middle East Morocco nigeria Rwanda San Francisco Silicon Valley State Department STEM technology TechWomen TechWomen Alumni Tunisia U.S. Department of State Women women in tech womenintech

Blogroll

  • DipNote
  • E-Mediat
  • Fulbright mtvU Fellows
  • Fulbright Student Program
  • Gilman Program
  • Ibrahim Leadership and Dialogue Project Blog
  • IIE Opening Minds
  • Parallel Earth
  • TechGirls
  • Women’s Enterprise for Sustainability

CONTACT US | MEDIA | Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions | Sitemap
Copyright © 2023 TechWomen | Site by MIGHTYminnow

   

Copyright © 2023 · TechWomen on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

 

Loading Comments...