Impact Stories from Education Diplomacy/Mentoring Policy Area
Fellow wins Young Professional of the Year at Nexte Awards
Fellow(s): Sebay Momoh
Country: Sierra Leone
Cohort: 2018
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
This week, 2018 fellow Sebay Momoh was awarded Young Professional of the Year at Sierra Leone’s Heirs Africa and Nexte Awards. Nexte, the philanthropic arm of Heirs Holdings, works to to minimize economic inequality in Africa and create a generation of successful entrepreneurs.
Attended by government officials, entrepreneurs, philanthropists and academics, the annual awards recognize individuals who are making meaningful contributions to development through hard work and commitment to innovation. Sebay, a petroleum engineer and program coordinator for STEM Women SL, was awarded the Young Professional of the Year award for her contributions to national development. “Some days the vision I’m striving for isn’t as clear to me,” says Sebay. “But then there are times like these that reignite the fire and inspire me to keep pushing.”
Report Date...: 4/22/19
Fellow recognized for inspiring and educating girls in Kenya
Fellow(s): Ruth Kaveke
Country: Kenya
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
This week, 2017 fellow of Kenya Ruth Kaveke was featured in an article from Digital Opportunity Trust Kenya, an initiative that supports youth in becoming innovators and leaders through digital technology. Ruth is the co-founder and director of Pwani Teknowgalz, a non-profit that aims to educate and empower girls through STEM education.
As one of few women in ICT at their university, Ruth and her co-founder Aisha were determined to bridge the gender gap in STEM, later establishing their organization to educate secondary and university girls on mobile apps, coding and web development. This month, Pwani Teknowgalz launched a campaign to train 100 girls from underserved communities in Mombasa on web development and digital marketing.
Report Date...: 4/15/19
Fellows partner with Facebook and UNODC to host hackathon
Fellow(s): Carolyn Seaman, Lindiwe Matlali
Country: Nigeria, South Africa
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
2017 fellows Lindiwe Matlali of South Africa and Carolyn Seaman of Nigeria recently collaborated to host Nigeria’s first Hackathon for Justice. Organized in partnership with Facebook and the Education for Justice initiative of the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the annual event aims to engage youth in using technology to address challenges to rule of law. Last year’s hackathon, also organized by Lindiwe, was hosted in Silicon Valley at TechWomen partner company Symantec.
This year, 50 students from 10 universities were selected from among 400 applicants to participate in the hackathon. Within a 24-hour period, 13 teams used problem-based learning to design and create apps, receiving mentorship and coaching from Facebook’s software engineers and representatives of Africa Teen Geeks, Lindiwe’s STEM education non-profit. By the end of the hackathon, the teams developed mobile apps addressing issues such as corruption, human trafficking, violence against children and terrorism.
“We are excited to be working with UNODC and Facebook to encourage youth to be actively involved in solving issues of rule of law and to amplify the great work of the Education for Justice initiative,” Lindiwe said. A hackathon participant reiterated, “This is not the end; we will keep the same energy and continue providing solutions to the problems of our world.”
Report Date...: 4/8/2019
Fellow organizes International Women’s Day event in Dubai
Fellow(s): Rayan Al Zahab
Country: Lebanon
Cohort: 2016
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth
2016 fellow of Lebanon Rayan Al Zahab, a Women Techmakers ambassador and Google Developers Expert, recently partnered with Google to organize an International Women’s Day event in Dubai. The event theme, “#IAmRemarkable,” was borrowed from the initiative of the same name that aims to empower women and underrepresented groups to speak openly about their accomplishments. Organized by Rayan for the second straight year, the event welcomed nearly 200 attendees.
Princess Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum of the Dubai royal family presided over the event, announcing with a Google representative an initiative to train and certify 1,000 girls in the MENA region on Google Cloud technologies.
Report Date...: 4/8/2019
2018 seed grant winners launch Internet of Things initiative
Fellow(s): Farah Shouman, Mel Azzi, Ryme Assaad and Stephanie Bassil
Country: Lebanon
Cohort: 2018
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Environmental Sustainability, Youth Engagement
2018 seed grant-winning Team Lebanon, comprising Farah Shouman, Mel Azzi, Ryme Assaad and Stephanie Bassil, have initiated their STEM-based impact project, My ioLab. The initiative provides opportunities for youth to innovate and refine their Internet of Things (IoT) knowledge, identifying solutions for the environment, security, home automation and industrial sectors. Through Ryme and Farah’s TechWomen mentorships at Mozilla, the team was able to leverage the company’s Things Gateway, an online resource that provides an open source IoT framework upon which anyone can build. Last month, the fellows hosted a hands-on coding workshop for teenage girls, using an environmental case study to show the relevance of IoT in solving real-world challenges. The event was an introduction to coding for many of the girls, helping them acquire skills and gain exposure to possibilities in the tech industry. Last month, three members of the team joined the TechWomen delegation to Uzbekistan, hosting an IoT workshop alongside Farah’s TechWomen Professional Mentor and Mozilla senior project manager Kathy Giori.
Next month, the fellows are partnering with Girls Got IT and the Lebanese League for Women in Business to host an innovation and IoT workshop for girls from schools throughout Lebanon.
Report Date...: 4/1/19
Fellows organize first TechWomen conference in Ramallah
Fellow(s): Gina Kadri, Dalia Shurrab, Zeina Sadeddin, Hanan Atallah, Waad Jabbarin and Nuha Shawahna (2018); Razan Qraini, Ruba Awayes, Rasha Abu Dayyeh and Rana Nofal (2017); Yamama Shaka’a (2016) and Ayah Soufan (2015)
Country: Palestinian Territories
Cohort: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth
This week, TechWomen fellows from multiple cohorts came together to organize the first TechWomen conference in Ramallah. Gina Kadri, Dalia Shurrab, Zeina Sadeddin, Hanan Atallah, Waad Jabbarin and Nuha Shawahna (2018) were joined by Razan Qraini, Ruba Awayes, Rasha Abu Dayyeh and Rana Nofal (2017), as well as Yamama Shaka’a (2016) and Ayah Soufan (2015) for the one-day event. The conference, sponsored by U.S. Embassy Jerusalem and attended by 80 students from throughout the region, aimed to strengthen the TechWomen and TechGirls networks and feature women leaders in STEM.
The day’s programming included TED-style talks and practical workshops focused on leadership development, personal branding and design thinking. TechWomen Impact Coach Jessica Dickinson Goodman, who mentored action plan teams from the West Bank and Gaza in 2017 and 2018, joined the conference from the Bay Area via Skype, leading a session on creating a five-year career plan. “It was a great event, and a great chance to network and meet leading Palestinian women,” said Gina.
Report Date...: 4/1/19
Mentors inspire young students to pursue their STEM passions
Fellow(s): TechWomen delegation trip to Uzbekistan
Country: Uzbekistan
Cohort: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Growth, Special Report, Youth Engagement
On day five, delegates visited students at three local secondary schools, introducing them to STEM fields and fostering their interest in entrepreneurship, robotics and more through interactive dialogue and exploratory exercises. Throughout the day, students learned about new industries and were challenged to think about how can they turn their passions into sustainable careers.
At School #31, mentor Elaina Tia led students in an exercise called “My Three Alternative Lives,” which prompted girls to think about their current career aspirations, their “plan B” and the careers they would unabashedly pursue if given the chance. Initially pursuing a career in finance, Elaina shared that she chose to follow her passion for design, ultimately becoming a UX designer at LinkedIn. She encouraged the girls to follow their curiosity, reminding them that they have the ability to choose their own path despite any challenges they may face.
The activities ended with a Q&A session, during which one student asked mentors about the biggest risk they had taken in their career. Mentor Maile Smith said that she takes a series of risks every day, insisting that she is heard, respected and valued: “I take a seat at the table even if I’m not offered a seat at the table,” she said.
Report Date...: 3/25/19
Delegates share their professional journeys at STEM Career Day
Fellow(s): TechWomen delegation trip to Uzbekistan
Country: Uzbekistan
Cohort: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Growth, Special Report, Youth Engagement
On day four, delegates connected with secondary school students for STEM Career Day hosted at Westminster International University in Tashkent and organized by doITwomen, a tech education program for women started by TechWomen fellows in Uzbekistan. The day offered a chance for students to learn about diverse careers in STEM fields, focusing on the future of STEM careers and opportunities that the students, especially girls, may not have previously considered pursuing.
In her afternoon keynote, mentor Rebecca Biswas of Juniper Network’s spoke about her career as an engineer, stressing the importance of empowering women in the field: “We know that girls belong in STEM just as much as boys,” she said. Once the only female engineering student at her university, Rebecca emphasized that today, the STEM ecosystem is becoming more inclusive and mindful of bringing diverse voices to the table.
The panel that followed gave students candid insight into mentors’ career journeys, showing them that finding your passion is not always a linear path. In one exercise, mentor Eileen Brewer asked panelists their career aspirations when they were 18 versus when they were 30, showing students that successful careers require flexibility and exploration. In the breakout sessions that followed, 2015 fellow of Lebanon Ghana Bteich reiterated that career changes should not just be expected, but also embraced. In her group, mentor Patricia Bovan Campbell of Salesforce explained that she has always looked at new jobs as very exciting opportunities: “They give you a chance to reinvent yourself,” she explained.
In many groups, students were concerned about balancing professional and personal aspirations. Addressing her group, mentor Shachi Patel, who owns her own professional coaching business, assured students that they still had time to find their passions, stressing that professional goals often require hard work, long hours and sacrifice: “If you want to be the best at something, it is going to take some time – but it’s possible.”
Report Date...: 3/25/19
Delegation kicks off Women in Tech and Science Week
Fellow(s): TechWomen delegation trip to Uzbekistan
Country: Uzbekistan
Cohort: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Growth, Special Report, Youth Engagement
On day three of the delegation trip, delegates helped kick off Central Asia Women in Tech and Science Week, a week-long event organized by TechWomen fellows and hosted in partnership with Inha University. The event, attended by students, STEM professionals and government officials from across the region, consisted of mentor-led panels, breakout sessions and pitch training for young girls participating in Technovation Uzbekistan.
Throughout the day’s sessions, mentors showed students possibilities in STEM fields, encouraging them to match their talents to one of the many diverse careers that exist in STEM. In interactive hands-on STEM workshops, young children learned fundamentals of robotics, electricity and motherboards, taking turns to control robots, solder hardware and use simple materials to conduct electricity.
Later in the day, mentors and fellows joined nearly 20 Technovation Uzbekistan teams for a session on pitching. Mentors Eileen Brewer of Symantec and Erin Keeley of Western Digital led the group, supporting the girls to refine their pitches and inviting teams to join them on stage to iterate and gather feedback. The teams’ mobile apps paired real-world issues – for example, plastic pollution, teen pregnancy and bullying – with innovative solutions and free resources. Team CyberKids presented their app called “Timeshare,” a platform that suggests to children and parents activities to encourage interaction and quality time. Another team created a mobile app for young mothers, helping them care for their babies through interactive and educational resources. Addressing the girls at the end of the session, Erin congratulated all participants on challenging themselves to create apps that serve a greater purpose: “Your apps have the potential to make a difference in your communities,” she said.
Report Date...: 3/25/19
Fellow named a finalist for Technology Playmaker Awards
Fellow(s): Maha Ech-Chefaa
Country: Morocco
Cohort: 2016
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
2016 fellow of Morocco Maha Ech-Chefaa was recently selected as a finalist in the Community Impact category at Booking.com’s 2019 Technology Playmaker Awards. The ceremony, held this week in London, celebrates women who have transformed communities and industries through the use of technology. Maha is the country leader for Enactus Morocco, an international NGO that works with businesses and higher education to aid students in their development as entrepreneurs and leaders in their communities.
At the event, Maha was able to network with women in the global technology scene, sharing their expertise and celebrating a diverse group of leaders changing the landscape of technology. Before TechWomen, Maha co-founded the Moroccan Center for Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship. She currently manages Rabat’s local Google Business Group.
Report Date...: 3/18/19
