Impact Stories from Education Diplomacy/Mentoring Policy Area
Mentor(s): Anar Simpson
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls
The Technovation Challenge, an initiative of the science education non-profit organization Iridescent, invites teams of girls from all over the world to solve real-world problems through technology. Working under the guidance of a mentor, Technovation teams identify a problem in their communities, develop a mobile app solution, build a business plan to launch the app and pitch their idea to bring the business plan to market. Regional winners are awarded with $1,000 scholarships, and the top teams are invited to the World Pitch in Silicon Valley for a chance to win between $5,000 and $15,000 in scholarships.
TechWomen fellows and mentors have played an instrumental role in Technovation’s global success. After learning about the program during the fall TechWomen program, and with the encouragement of their mentors, which include Technovation Global Ambassador Anar Simpson, fellows have returned home to launch Technovation chapters in their countries and mentor teams of middle school- and high school-aged girls. TechWomen fellows are responsible for introducing Technovation in 15 of the 78 countries where the program currently operates: Cameroon, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Morocco, Nigeria, Palestinian Territories, Rwanda, South Africa, Tajikistan, Thailand (started by a 2014 fellow of Algeria who relocated there), Tunisia and Uzbekistan. Teams led by fellows have consistently seen success; this year, three TechWomen-affiliated teams are advancing to the World Pitch finals and three teams were named regional winners.
Report Date...: 7/2/2018
Fellow featured on Wonder Women Entrepreneurs List
Fellow(s): Afnan Ali
Country: Jordan
Cohort: 2011
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
Afnan Ali, 2011 fellow of Jordan, was highlighted on StartUp Scene’s “8 Wonder Women Entrepreneurs Crossing Milestones in Jordan” list. The article discusses Afnan’s startup, Eureka, which provides scientific programming to Jordanian youth, teaching them about engineering, robotics, electronics and renewable energy, as well as entrepreneurship and creating business plans. Eureka students are encouraged to compete in local and international competitions. Since the startup’s founding in 2014, more than 500 students have participated in the program.
In 2016, Afnan pitched Eureka at the Rise Up Summit in Cairo, Egypt. Out of 23 pitches, she was one of six entrepreneurs chosen to participate in a 10-day acceleration program hosted by RiseUp and TechWadi in Silicon Valley.
Report Date...: 6/25/2018
Mentor(s): Nermin Salah, Bianca Liederer, Cathy Simpson, Nargiza Abdubalieva, Katie Penn, Abiola Ilupeju and Eileen Brewer.
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring
During the week of June 25, IIE invited fellows to acknowledge and share appreciation for their mentors on social media using #TWThankAMentor. The inaugural campaign resulted in uplifting and inspiring messages that reminded mentors – and the entire TechWomen community – of the exponential impact they have on the professional and personal lives of the Emerging Leaders.
Nermin Salah, 2013 fellow of Egypt, shared appreciation for mentors Bianca Liederer and Cathy Simpson, saying that Bianca has continued “to be a super mentor and great friend,” and that Cathy “made [her] understand the American people in an amazing way.” She also thanked her host company, Genentech, for the support and exposure they offered. Nargiza Abdubalieva, 2016 fellow of Kyrgyzstan, thanked her mentor at Twitter, Katie Penn, for “inspiring [her] to mentor others in [her] community and realize [her] potential.” Abiola Ilupeju, 2015 fellow of Nigeria, commended Eileen Brewer, her mentor at Symantec, for helping her prepare for an important presentation, saying “You know when you have presentations and you rehearse to yourself looking at the mirror to mimic standing in front of an audience? Eileen became my mirror, watched and helped me improve.”
Read more TechWomen Thank a Mentor posts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Report Date...: 6/25/2018
Fellows launch initiative developed during 2017 TechWomen program
Fellow(s): Lara Chikhani, Maya Itani and Rasha Sukkarieh
Country: Lebanon
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
After developing their action plan concept during the 2017 program, three fellows of Lebanon, Lara Chikhani, Maya Itani and Rasha Sukkarieh, have launched Solve24, a project-based summer program that will train students aged 13-17 to solve real-life problems through STEM. Though the team was not awarded a seed grant during their time in the U.S., Lara, Maya and Rasha were passionate about their idea and continued their mentorship virtually upon returning home, supported by Impact Coaches Katy Dickinson, Fatema Kothari and Mercedes Soria, who serve on Solve24’s advisory board. Said Lara, “Thank you to Techwomen for pushing us to start this and connecting us with the amazing mentors.”
Solve24 will offer activities to improve participants’ skills in design thinking, leadership, communication, innovation and teamwork as they design a project focused on solving an issue in their community. At the end of the program, students will pitch their projects to design professionals, mentors and family members. The top projects will be awarded a prize.
Lara, Maya and Rasha hope that Solve24 will help Lebanese youth cultivate critical thinking skills and creativity in order to create positive impact and be competitive in the global job market. The first boot camp program will begin this summer.
Report Date...: 6/25/2018
Fellows presents action plan initiative at Women Ambassador Forum
Fellow(s): Hiba Shabrouq
Country: Jordan
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth
2017 fellow Hiba Shabrouq recently represented Jordan at the Women Ambassadors Forum (WAF) in Dallas, Texas. The forum aims to provide women leaders with resources and the supportive network they need to reach their full potential. While attending, Hiba pitched Ozwah, Team Jordan’s action plan project that won a TechWomen seed grant during the 2017 program. Ozwah strives to make higher education more accessible to female orphans through training and mentorship. After her pitch presentation, Hiba received valuable feedback about the possibility of international collaboration.
The annual Women Ambassadors Forum runs five days and includes professional development seminars, meetings with corporate and community leaders, a speaker series and field trips. WAF receives more than 1,000 applications from changemakers across the globe, but only a select pool is invited to attend.
Report Date...: 6/18/2018
Mentor(s): Catherine Simpson
Company: Agile Learning
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Growth
Mentor Cathy Simpson attended the 2018 Go Viral Festival in Almaty, Kazakhstan, an event that brought together experts in the fields of media, business, culture and technology to create innovative ideas. Fellow Diana Tsoy (2015) served on the festival’s Board of Supervisors, which also included U.S. Consul General Mark Moody and others from the Consulate General, which supported the event.
Cathy is a certified scrum trainer and agile coach at Agile Learning Labs. At the festival, she led workshops on the scrum process and how it can increase productivity for businesses. She also discussed the importance of increasing the presence of women and girls in STEM. In an interview with Go Viral, Cathy shared several tips for companies to become more agile. “Get feedback. Engage your customers, engage your stake holders, engage your team members. There is nothing more vital than doing good project work or creating a good product and making sure you’re on the right track.”
During Cathy’s visit to Kazkhastan, she also traveled to Astana, where she led additional workshops and trainings, including for Technovation participants. Joining activities during Cathy’s visit were fellows Dina Shaikhislam, Bee Makhambet, Yelena Filipchik, Aliya Meldebekova, Veronika Iurchenko, Gulshnar Salpykova and Aliya Mukhametzhanova, as well as 2018 Emerging Leader Nargiza Siyabekova.
Report Date...: 6/18/2018
Fellow selected as U.S. embassy alumna of the month
Fellow(s): Faten Khalfallah
Country: Tunisia
Cohort: 2015
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
Faten Khalfallah, 2015 fellow of Tunisia, was selected as alumna of the month by the U.S. Embassy in Tunisia. During the TechWomen program, Faten was mentored at Autodesk, where she received training on many of the company’s software applications, as well as support from her mentors to launch her own initiative in Tunisia. The embassy highlighted Faten’s efforts as founder of First Skills Club, a non-profit organization that provides STEM programming for youth aged 10 to 16. The program is currently training 150 students in computer programming, robotics and entrepreneurship.
Last year, several students in the First Skills Club participated in the Robotics Olympics in Washington, D.C. and won gold and silver medals in the International Excellence category. Students from the club also attended the 2018 Robotics World Championship in Kentucky, where they won the Judge’s Award and were among the top ten teams of girls aged 12 to 14. Faten is now preparing a team that will soon travel to Mexico to participate in the 2018 Robotic Olympic Games. She hopes that one day Tunisia will become a global technology hub.
Read More »Report Date...: 6/11/2018
Fellow highlights STEM mentorship program in podcast episode
Fellow(s): Chao Mbogo
Country: Kenya
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
2017 fellow of Kenya Dr. Chao Mbogo was interviewed in an episode of Pursuit Podcast about her organization, KamiLimu, which engages computer science students at Kenyan universities in a six-month mentorship program. Chao explains that she launched KamiLimu to address the gap between what students are learning in the classroom and the skills they need to be competitive in the global STEM job market. Since 2016, KamiLimu has supported 96 students, several of whom have won international awards and scholarships after participating in the mentorship program.
Chao discussed the four major pillars that participants learn in the program: innovation and ICT skills, professional development, community involvement and scholarship application and awareness. This model ensures that while students are learning ICT skills to supplement what might be lacking in their curricula, they also receive training to most effectively apply to jobs and scholarships and become active members of the Kenya tech community. Chao said, “Mentorship for me is not inviting someone to talk and then they go away… Mentorship is more long term, and it has to happen every day, every week, every month.”
Report Date...: 6/11/2018
Fellow chosen as Optical Society Ambassador
Fellow(s): Yaseera Ismail
Country: South Africa
Cohort: 2016
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Growth
Yaseera Ismail, 2016 fellow of South Africa, was selected as a 2018 Optical Society Ambassador for her work on quantum communications and the development of quantum-enabled technologies. Yaseera has been an active member of the Optical Society of America (OSA) for nine years and was the founding president of the student chapter in Durban, South Africa in 2012.
OSA Ambassadors are leaders in the field of optics and photonics who are dedicated to supporting the society’s chapters. They provide career advice, technical knowledge and mentorship and support professional development events at different chapters of OSA. Ambassadors also serve as mentors to early career professionals in the optics and photonics fields. Just ten individuals are selected to be ambassadors each year, hailing from across the globe.
OSA was founded in 1916 with the mission to educate and bring together scientists, engineers, educators and technicians from across the globe to engage in professional development.
Report Date...: 6/4/2018
Mentor(s): Erica Lockheimer
Company: LinkedIn Learning
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Growth
Mentor Erica Lockheimer, Head of Engineering at LinkedIn Learning, delivered the commencement speech at her alma mater, the Charles W. Davidson College of Engineering at San Jose State University. Erica shared memories from her years at SJSU and the importance of the friendships she forged while there. According to Erica, many of these relationships have lasted over two decades and were instrumental in her success in college as well as her career.
Erica also advised the class of 2018 to never stop learning. While SJSU provides students with a wealth of knowledge, remaining curious and hardworking is crucial to innovation. Last, Erica implored the graduates to pay it forward and make the tech industry one that is accessible to women and people of color. She noted that women make up only 20% of the tech field in the U.S. and said, “You have the opportunity to create something that is vibrant and represents the diversity of our society. You can do it better than we did.”
Report Date...: 5/28/2018