Impact Stories from Education Diplomacy/Mentoring Policy Area

Fellow featured for being an automotive industry trailblazer

Fellow(s): Oduwa Agboneni

Country: Nigeria

Cohort: 2019

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement

2019 fellow Oduwa Agboneni was featured in a spotlight from United Bank of Africa, highlighted for her work as an entrepreneur, mechanical engineer and founder of Nenis Auto Care, an auto garage with a mission to empower women and girls in Nigeria. In addition to founding Nenis Auto Care, Oduwa established Nenis E-Learning Hub where she hosts courses on electric vehicles and trains women with essential skills like changing a tire and checking a car battery. Nenis Auto Care also works with the University of Lagos to host its women engineering students for hands-on internships, and, in 2019, Oduwa created Girls Auto Squad, an automotive training program that addresses the skills shortage and gender gap in the Nigerian automotive industry through empowering underserved girls. “There are very few women in this field because of lack of interest due to societal beliefs that it’s a man’s world,” Oduwa said in the feature. “I’ve tried as much as possible to encourage females…there’s a pride that comes with this field. It comes with respect; it comes with dignity…ladies should not be cut off from benefiting from the automotive industry.”

Report Date...: 3/28/22

Mentor(s):

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth

Emerging leaders entered week four of TechWomen with new skills and enhanced networks, ready to apply their learnings towards fulfilling their mentorship goals and finalizing their action plan projects. At Action Plan Workshop 3, Emerging Leaders were led by longtime TechWomen mentor Eileen Brewer through a comprehensive pitch training and practice session. There, Eileen explained the six key elements of an impactful pitch – Problem, Solution, Launch, Growth, Sustainability and Team – and in the breakout rooms that followed, Emerging Leaders and Impact Coaches reviewed what they learned and began to develop strategies for a successful pitch. At the end of the session, Eileen reminded the Emerging Leaders to enter Pitch Day feeling confident and empowered: “Don’t pause, don’t apologize, don’t backtrack,” she said. “Take a breath and keep on going when you’ve made a mistake.” At the following week’s Inclusive Leadership Workshop, YSC Consulting facilitators spoke about equity and conscious inclusion in a session where Emerging Leaders were encouraged to share and engage freely in a judgment-free space. At Volunteer Day, Emerging Leaders gave back to the community through volunteering at Bay Area initiatives. Through helping seniors at the Community Technology Network, assembling STEM kits with Resource Area For Teaching, packing donation boxes at Community Impact Lab or planting in a community garden, Emerging Leaders had an opportunity to learn about community needs in the Bay Area and the organizations that are dedicated to creating solutions.

Report Date...: 3/21/2022

TechWomen alumnae support Technovation Turkmenistan

Fellow(s): Maral Hudaybergenova, Radha Basu, Eileen Brewer, Janice Campbell, Erin Keeley, Cora Lam, Zulya Achilova, Zeenat Anjum, Ozoda Ismailova, Sitora Salaeva

Country: Pakistan, Turkmenistan, United States, Uzbekistan

Cohort: 2016, 2018, 2019

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement

2018 fellow of Turkmenistan Maral Hudaybergenova recently brought together the TechWomen community to help girls from Technovation Turkmenistan build their confidence, refine their pitches and prepare for Technovation’s global technology competition. Maral, the chapter ambassador for Technovation, launched the first season of the program in Turkmenistan last year. This month she organized a Live Speed Mentoring event, bringing in mentors Radha Basu, Eileen Brewer, Janice Campbell, Erin Keeley and Cora Lam as well as 2019 fellow of Turkmenistan Zulya Achilova, 2019 fellow of Pakistan Zeenat Anjum and fellows of Uzbekistan Ozoda Ismailova (2016) and Sitora Salaeva (2019) to serve as mentors. Together, the fellows, mentors and other supporters met with the Technovation Turkmenistan girls, helping them with their projects that aim to use technology to address leading issues in their communities. 18 teams of girls ages eight to 18 had the opportunity practice pitching their projects to the mentors and gather feedback on their projects and pitch delivery.

Report Date...: 3/21/2022

Mentor(s): N/A

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth

After laying the groundwork for both mentorship and action planning in week two, week three of TechWomen was all about diving deeper: Emerging Leaders took action to fulfill their mentorship goals and objectives, worked together to create impactful projects and learned alongside their Professional Interest Groups. Where Action Plan Workshop 1 set the stage for defining an issue and optimizing teamwork and collaboration, week three’s Action Plan 2 moved Emerging Leaders into designing a solution, creating a clear social impact statement and carving a more defined path forward. After sharing out their progress with the wider cohort, Emerging Leaders and Impact Coaches spent the remainder of the session in speed mentoring, where Impact Coaches visited other teams’ breakout rooms for 20-minute feedback sessions. Emerging Leaders also continued to engage in their professional mentorships in week three, working alongside their mentors to fulfill their professional goals. Fatma Telib of Egypt, an entrepreneur who is working with mentors at GoDaddy, has gained exposure to best practices and new networks: “I’ve met with people from all nationalities and cultures, working in harmony. I feel inclusion, and I feel belonging. That’s what I love,” she said. Leonida Soi of Kenya, a computer science teacher, is being mentored by Kathy Giori of ZEDEDA who has shown Leonida how to use MicroBlocks to introduce kids to coding and hardware components. Together, they have begun working with one of MicroBlocks’ program developers to translate it into Swahili.

Report Date...: 3/14/2022

Fellow featured in radio interview for Women’s History Month

Fellow(s): Imane Nassif

Country: Morocco

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth

2018 fellow Imane Nassif was a guest on ELLES, an interview series from the Parity and Diversity Committee of the 2M media channel. Imane, the buyer for emerging markets at Ford Middle East and Africa, joined the program to speak about her upbringing, career trajectory and work at Ford. During the conversation, Imane spoke about her commitment to volunteering and the importance of both being mentored and mentoring others: “I believe that it is difficult for young women to consider careers or professional paths without having seen or known a female model before,” she said. “It opens up new possibilities, and sometimes even allows them to set goals that they thought were unreachable before.” Imane shared highlights from her TechWomen mentorship at Lyft, where she was exposed to new automotive technologies and inspired to support other women in her industry. After she returned home, Imane began mentoring Rahma Tizzane, a young engineer in the automotive industry: “My experience had inspired her, so we worked together on her application,” Imane said. “I am extremely happy that she was selected for this year’s cohort. She is currently in San Francisco living her own experience!”

Report Date...: 3/14/2022

fellow shares passion for uplifting women and girls, In interview fellow shares passion for uplifting women and girls

Fellow(s): Joy Makumbe

Country: Zimbabwe

Cohort: 2015

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement

2015 fellow Joy Makumbe was featured in Harare-based newspaper The Sunday Mail, interviewed about her passion for engineering and her commitment to bringing more women and girls into the field. Joy, a civil and water engineer and project manager, recently published Tech Girl Diaries, a book that chronicles her personal and professional journey in STEM. Through a series of essays, Joy shares lessons and practical advice on how parents, communities and workplaces can support girls and women on their STEM journeys and work together towards addressing the gender imbalance in STEM fields.
In the interview, Joy spoke about her hope for women and girls: “My vision to see more women in Africa take up positions of impact and influence in the engineering and science fields led me to start the Joy Makumbe Trust…a trust dedicated to empowering women with entrepreneurial skills and career guidance.” She also spoke about her role as secretary for the Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities, sharing her projects that will house Zimbabweans in need.

Report Date...: 3/14/2022

Mentor(s): ELs begin mentorship and action planning in week two

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth

After an active week of cultural exchange and professional development workshops, Emerging Leaders were eager to explore all the Bay Area has to offer alongside Cultural Mentors, their cultural ambassadors to the Bay Area. Whether it was a visit to the Academy of Sciences, a tour of Tesla, attending panels with industry leaders at a Bloomberg event or sightseeing around the Painted Ladies, Emerging Leaders and mentors learned about Bay Area culture, and one another, before a busy week ahead. Week two kicked-off with the first meeting of Professional Interest Groups, small groups of Emerging Leaders with common professional interests that are guided by mentors. Through the groups — themed on a variety of fields such as digital media, edtech, green tech, engineering, biotech and health sciences, AI and machine learning and more — Emerging Leaders and their mentors will share learnings from their professional mentorship experience, exchange resources and engage in conversations relevant to their fields of interest. Emerging Leaders also began learning alongside their Professional Mentors, beginning to work on their goals and learning objectives. The week concluded at Action Plan Workshop 1, where Emerging Leaders came together as country teams to lay the groundwork for their social impact projects. With facilitation from Susie Kelleher of YSC Consulting, country teams began to think strategically about their action plan, a project that will address a socioeconomic issue in their home country. By the end of the day, many country teams had laid the groundwork for their project’s mission and goals and had learned more about team strengths, collaboration and how to maximize their impact.

Report Date...: 3/7/2022

In TEDx talk fellow speaks about African innovation

Fellow(s): Sharon Telewa

Country: Kenya

Cohort: 2018

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement

2018 fellow Sharon Telewa was a speaker at TEDxKassel, presenting on the “rise and rise” of technology in the African ecosystem. The TEDx event was themed on “New Realities,” exploring the interplay between society and technology. Sharon, an innovation and business development manager, is currently based in Germany. She began her talk speaking about her education, culture and family, using her own story to dispel common stereotypes of Africa and the African people. She then explored her roles at Safaricom, Andela and Kenya Flying Labs, using her career experience to communicate the ways in which the innovation and technology ecosystem in Africa can be better supported: by strengthening education systems, supporting digital transformation in rural areas and investing in African startups. Sharon also introduced Jedimu Elimu Trust, the initiative she founded that supports local schools with STEM resources, builds digital literacy through training and offers economic empowerment opportunities. “I believe that I can make a difference for my home village and for surrounding villages,” Sharon said. “We’re a small organization with big dreams.”

Report Date...: 3/7/2022

Fellow interviewed in celebration of Girls in ICT Day

Fellow(s): Salma Bekkouche

Country: Algeria

Cohort: 2018

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth

2018 fellow Salma Bekkouche was interviewed for the Girls and Women Talking Tech series, speaking about her career in ICT and her commitment to connecting people to opportunity. The talk was hosted by EQUALS Global Partnership, a global network of professionals working to address the gender gap in technology. The series highlights women in ICT in celebration of April’s Girls in ICT Day. Salma, a recruiter and content creator, was interviewed by Kusuma Kumar, a student at Middlebury College. In the interview, Salma spoke about her studies in computer science and her passion for the field: “When you learn computer science you learn how to think,” Salma said. “You learn how to use logic to develop new solutions to different problems.” Salma also talked about her passion for connecting with people and matching them to new opportunities: “My job is more than just a title, it’s a mission,” she said. The interview concluded with Salma sharing how women can support other women: “We can support them through mentoring. Mentoring is a powerful tool for learning. Women and girls need to see and connect with role models,” she said.

Report Date...: 3/7/2022

Mentor(s):

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth

After spending their first weekend in the Bay Area, Emerging Leaders were hosted by Autodesk on Monday for a virtual Impact Design Workshop. There, they were brought through an introduction to design thinking by Autodesk’s JoAnna Cook: “As you’re innovating, you can always correct,” JoAnna reminded them. “We don’t get it right the first time in all cases. What you can do is not lose your passion to follow up and listen.” After learning about the cornerstones of the design thinking process – intentionally identifying a problem, starting with the end user, iterating on ideas and maximizing collaboration and alignment – Emerging Leaders were led through a stakeholder mapping exercise, drawing out all stakeholders at their workplaces or businesses. In breakout rooms led by Autodesk facilitators, Emerging Leaders applied the method of abstraction laddering to the underrepresentation of women in STEM, discussing together how to reframe problems to create solutions. Week one concluded at the Leadership Workshop with two sessions on advancing women leaders and understanding individual and team strengths. Shannon Bayer of Linkage led the morning session, presenting on Advancing Women in Leadership. “Now more than ever, women are a part of the solution,” she said. “We need to look at how we can influence the change that considers us in the structure moving forward.” Samantha Raniere, TechWomen Impact Coach and principal at Raniere Consulting, led the afternoon session on leveraging individual and team strengths. “We can acquire any skill. Nothing holds us back from doing that,” she said.

Report Date...: 2/28/2022

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