Impact Stories from Professional Development Policy Area

Fellow moderates panel on tech markets featuring U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce Marisa Lago

Fellow(s): Reevana Balmahoon (South Africa, 2022)

Country: South Africa

Cohort: 2022

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Development

In collaboration with her local U.S. mission and WomHub, fellow Reevana Balmahoon (South Africa, 2022) recently moderated a panel on opportunities for start-ups in the U.S. through SelectUSA Tech, a Commerce Department program that connects early-stage and startup technology companies to investment prospects in the U.S. market. The panel included Marisa Lago, U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, Mamela Luthuli, CEO of TakeNote IT group, and Dr. Georgette Fraser-Moore, President and CEO of Transformation Lead. Reuben Brigety II, U.S. Ambassador to South Africa also attended the event. “Women play an important role in global economic growth,” Reevana shared in a recent post. “As barriers continue to break in this realm, let’s celebrate their impact when growing our communities, governments and businesses.” WomHub is a lean incubator and co-working hub for female founders in science, technology, engineering and manufacturing. Having worked there for nearly six years, Reevana is a tech lead and advisor for the organization, specializing in technology content curation, development and management, and technical advisement for strategic partnerships.

Report Date...: 08/14/2023

Fellow delivers digital fashion talk at FemInno event

Fellow(s): Ainura Tursunalieva Sagyn (Kyrgyzstan, 2017)

Country: Kyrgyzstan

Cohort: 2017

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Development

Fellow Ainura Tursunalieva Sagyn (Kyrgyzstan, 2017) delivered a talk on digital fashion at the FemInno conference in Yerevan, Armenia this July. The largest female innovation conference in its region, FemInno aims to showcase and empower leading women in science, technology and business. Ainura’s talk delved into the concept of digital fashion and how it connects to web 3 and the metaverse. Ainura works in operations at Artizant, an NFT digital fashion marketplace. She is also CEO of Tazar, an eco-sustainability application. “The contributions of women have been instrumental in reshaping industries, driving progress, and fostering diverse perspectives,” Ainura shared in a recent post. “It’s crucial to recognize and empower the roles of women, as a more inclusive tech industry leads to better solutions and a broader societal impact.”

Report Date...: 8/21/2023

Fellow joins delegation at 1st Climate Resilience Salon

Fellow(s): Safiya Aliyu (Nigeria, 2018)

Country: Nigeria

Cohort: 2018

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Development

Fellow Safiya Aliyu (Nigeria, 2018) recently served as a delegate at the first Climate Resilience Salon to take place in Nigeria. Supported by the U.S. Consulate General Lagos, the event convened women-led organizations, climate-tech entrepreneurs and local leaders championing efforts to mitigate climate change in their communities. Event speakers included U.S. Consulate Deputy Political and Economic Chief Kenise Hill, who emphasized that “climate change is a threat that sees no borders.” Safiya has served in the renewable energy sector for over 15 years. She is a general manager at SOSAI Renewable Energies Company and the country director of their Matan Arewan Initiative, which works to amplify the capacity of women working in all aspects of the northern Nigerian renewable energy industry. “It was an eye opener to understand how climate affects any sector you can think of locally, nationally and globally,” Safiya shared in a recent post.

Report Date...: 08/21/2023

000 seed grant win

Fellow(s): Safa Buzgeia (Libya, 2022)

Country: Libya

Cohort: 2022

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Development, Youth Engagement

Fablab Libya’s “Libyan STEM Hub”, an educational technology project conceived and spearheaded by fellow Safa Buzgeia (Libya, 2022), recently earned 40,000 USD in grant funding from the Islamic Development Bank as a part of their 14-week Tadamon Accelerator experience. Under Safa’s leadership, the Fablab Libya team prepared a non-profit business plan, submitted a pitch deck, and took part in a pitch competition, ultimately placing in the top three among 47 civil service organizations in the accelerator. The project went on to be recognized as one of Tadamon Accelerator’s seven best development projects at this spring’s Forum on Contributing to the Reduction of Poverty in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Fab Lab Libya is an incubator and civil society organization working to spread the culture of digital manufacturing, technology and entrepreneurship, primarily through the implementation of workshops and projects. Libyan STEM Hub aims to establish a first-of-its-kind interactive electronic educational platform, offering modern and practical STEM teaching methods to help bridge the gap in technology content and capacity building around distance learning in the nation. “I think the Tadamon Accelerator experience offered a great next step, with a wonderful conclusion, to what I learned during my TechWomen impact project journey,” Safa shared in a recent letter.

Report Date...: 8/21/2023

Fellow delivers smart tech talk at Google I/O event

Fellow(s): Kseniia Tsyganova (Kyrgyzstan, 2022)

Country: Kyrgyzstan

Cohort: 2022

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Development

Fellow Kseniia Tsyganova (Kyrgyzstan, 2022) gave a talk centered on internet of things (IoT) technology at the Google I/O Extended conference in Bishkek this August. Kseniia’s presentation, “Smart Home: Simpler than you think,” led the audience through her years-long journey of trial and error to embed her own home with smart technology. She also offered tips for adopting home automatization technology and explored the prospective advancements of near-future smart homes. “My journey and its first fruits inspired me to share my knowledge with the world,” she shared in a recent post. Google I/O Extended is a global event that brings together tech-community specialists to share and learn about new Google technologies and products, connect with industry experts and expand their networks. It was organized by the local Google Developers Group (GDG) and held at Ololo Planet, an innovation and creativity hub in Bishkek.

Report Date...: 08/28/2023

Fellow founds nonprofit Data for Africa Impact (D4AI)

Fellow(s): Rosaline Macharia (Kenya, 2022)

Country: Kenya

Cohort: 2022

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Development, Youth Engagement

Fellow Rosaline Macharia (Kenya, 2022) recently founded Data for African Impact (D4AI), a non-profit organization that aims to equip and inspire African youth with data science tools. To mark the founding, D4AI hosted its first webinar, “Decoding Data Science: Unleashing Its Potential,” on August 23. The webinar, featuring prominent Australian data scientist Dr. Xin Li and D4AI Head of Training Charles Ndung’u, offered insights into the present and future applications of data science and elucidated the importance of data science literacy in Africa. In September, the program will also launch STEMEd for girls, a free online training program for high school girls. “The establishment of Data for African Impact stands as a remarkable milestone—a testament to the career goals I set following my TechWomen experience,” Rosaline wrote in a recent post. “My heartfelt appreciation goes out to… my impact coaches, Beth Steinberg and Arezoo Riahi,” she continued. “Your insights and guidance have been a guiding lig

Report Date...: 08/28/2023

Fellow discusses AI for impact on ECA exchange Alumni Podcast

Fellow(s): Dr. Reema Diab (Jordan, 2019)

Country: Jordan

Cohort: 2019

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Development, Youth Engagement

Fellow Dr. Reema Diab (Jordan, 2019) recently appeared on the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ ExchangeAlumni series, Mentor Talks. In the episode, “Using AI as a Force for Global Good,” Reema discusses her role as an AI global ambassador, demystifies popular misconceptions about artificial intelligence and illustrates how it can be deployed for positive impact. Through her non-governmental organization, Galaxy for Technology, for example, Reema uses AI as a tool for education and skill-building for local refugees. “I founded Galaxy because there was a huge need in my community,” she explained. “We give them intensive training from web development to python to machine learning — the main skills and tools needed to work with global markets.” Reema also discussed her journey in TechWomen. “I have this kind of love in my eyes when I speak of TechWomen,” Reema shared, highlighting the mentorships, partnerships, entrepreneurial knowledge and professional networking opportunities she gained. “It was truly a transformative experience that has significantly shaped my career.” Reema is the first female Jordanian AI Global Ambassador for SwissCognitive, an international keynote speaker, and Founder and CEO of Galaxy for Technology. She is a youth influencer and also serves as a senior AI consultant for Tesla Motors and the World Bank.

Report Date...: 08/28/2023

9 Fellows provide leadership support as Techgirls LECs

Fellow(s): Anzurat Kosimova (Tajikistan, 2016), Arielle Kitio Tsamo (Cameroon, 2016), Carolyn Seaman (Nigeria, 2018), Ghada Amin (Egypt, 2018), Helen Mburu (Kenya, 2018), Nadiah Saba’neh, (Palestinian Territories, 2015) Nisreen Deeb (Lebanon, 2013), Ramia Bakain (Jordan, 2022) and Refilwe Ledwaba (South Africa, 2019)

Country: Cameroon, Egypt, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Nigeria, Palestinian Territories, South Africa, Tajikistan

Cohort: 2013, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2022

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Development, Youth Engagement

Fellows Anzurat Kosimova (Tajikistan, 2016), Arielle Kitio Tsamo (Cameroon, 2016), Carolyn Seaman (Nigeria, 2018), Ghada Amin (Egypt, 2018), Helen Mburu (Kenya, 2018), Nadiah Saba’neh, (Palestinian Territories, 2015) Nisreen Deeb (Lebanon, 2013), Ramia Bakain (Jordan, 2022) and Refilwe Ledwaba (South Africa, 2019) recently served as Local Engagement Coordinators (LECs) for the 2023 TechGirls program. LECs provide ongoing mentorship and support for 100+ girls from 35 countries who travel to Virginia Tech for one month per year to further their futures in STEM. “An absolute highlight for me was when Lee Satterfield, Assistant Secretary of State for the ECA (Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs), addressed the TechGirls community,” Nadiah shares. “[And] the special message from Secretary of State Antony Blinken left us all with a renewed sense of hope for a brighter tomorrow.”

Report Date...: 08/07/2023

Fellow Founded Incubator Joins AfriLabs Network

Fellow(s): Ichraf Jarray (Tunisia, 2022)

Country: Tunisia

Cohort: 2022

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Development

Hive 12, a multi-faceted incubator founded by fellow Ichraf Jarray (Tunisia, 2022), has recently entered into a partnership with AfriLabs, one of Africa’s leading networks of technology and innovation hubs. In a milestone expansion event, Hive 12 represented one of 19 new hubs from Angola, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Tunisia and Zimbabwe to join the AfriLabs network this spring. “This partnership marks the first step towards developing African markets for our startups, creating opportunities for both parties, and expanding our network,” Ichraf shared in a recent post. Hive12 operates as not only an incubator, but also a co-working space and consulting practice with the recent addition of a research and development department all to serve early-stage startups for women and youth.

Report Date...: 7/10/2023

Mentor shares TechWomen impact in Dell Tech feature

Fellow(s): Mentor Anne-Marie McReynolds

Country:

Cohort: 2023

Policy Area(s): Professional Development

Mentor Anne-Marie McReynolds recently discussed her role as a TechWomen mentor in a feature for Dell Technologies’ Thought Leadership Perspectives. In this feature, “Empowering women in tech to build equity in innovation,” Anne-Marie, a senior principal product manager at Dell, discusses STEM education accessibility, ethical AI and “turning observation into a superpower.” Delving into her experiences feeling unseen due to disability as a teen and later as a minority and woman in STEM, Anne-Marie expounds on her journey through tech, her lessons on turning negative into positive, and why she became a mentor for TechWomen. “As a Black woman in this space, I’m used to working in a vacuum,” she explains. “Not everyone is permitted the same access to these opportunities, so it’s important to nurture new talent and encourage participation.”

Report Date...: 10/9/2023

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