Impact Stories from Professional Development Policy Area
"Fellow earns state medal for labor achievements"
Fellow(s): Fellow earns state medal for labor achievements – Elmira Obry
Country: Kazakhstan
Cohort: 2022
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development
Newly minted fellow Elmira Obry (Kazakhstan, Fall 2022) was recently awarded the Republic of Kazakhstan’s Yeren Enbegi Ushin Medal for labor achievements in the economy, social sphere, science, culture and public service by President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich. The honor was announced on October 21, during a ceremony commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Sovereign Republic of Kazakhstan.
Elmira is currently the CEO of the Bureau for Continuing Professional Development (BCPD) of the Astana International Financial Center (AIFC), which works to provide local professionals in the financial sector with professional and competency development opportunities.
“By combining international experience with local wisdom, being open to global opportunities, but at the same time preserving the unique identity of the region, we can achieve a lot,” she shared in a recent post to mark the occasion.
Report Date...: 11/14/2022
"Fellow speaks at World Conference on Volunteering"
Fellow(s): Fellow speaks at World Conference on Volunteering – Hiba Awaysa
Country: Palestinian Territories
Cohort: 2020-2021
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development
Fellow Hiba Awaysa (2020-2021) recently gave a talk on enhancing the power of volunteering through technology at the International Association for Volunteering Efforts (IAVE) World Volunteer Conference held in Abu Dhabi this October. Among other topics, she discussed the history of volunteering in Palestine and milestones reached from 1903 until today.
Hiba is the Strategic Marketing Planning Unit Head of Paltel, a leading telecommunications company, and the founder of Sawaed19, a social startup that provides a space for major actors in the volunteering ecosystem to congregate on one, unified platform. Sawaed19 uses AI to make “smart matches” between entities such as NGOs with well-suited volunteers. It also provides a direct chatting function and a volunteering management system.
Report Date...: 11/14/2022
Fellow(s): Fellow speaks on LEAP Africa annual conference panel – Damilola Asaleye
Country: Nigeria
Cohort: 2020-2021
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Development, Youth Engagement
Fellow Damilola Asaleye (Nigeria, 2020-2021) recently spoke on a panel at LEAP Africa’s Social Innovators Program (SIPA) 2022 conference. LEAP Africa is “a youth-focused leadership development organization committed to raising leaders that will transform Africa.” Damilola highlighted her organizations, Ashdam Solar Company Limited and Girls and Women Technological Empowerment Organization (GWTEO), sharing her mission of “closing the gender gap in technology and bringing energy security to last-mile communities in Nigeria.” She also encouraged African youths to “develop sustainability through monitoring and evaluating their impacts starting from personal goals to organizational goals.” On top of this, Damilola was also recently named one of the Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society Rising Leaders Class of 2022.
Read More »Report Date...: 11/07/2022
"Fellow co-hosts blockchain education and wellness event"
Fellow(s): Fellow co-hosts blockchain education and wellness event – Eman Herawy
Country: Egypt
Cohort: 2022
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development
Fellow Eman Herawy (Egypt, 2022) recently co-hosted the “All-levels Web3 Education and Wellness Immersion” event with blockchain technology leaders at the American University in Cairo. Topics included Web3, DAO, NFTs, smart contracts, the Metaverse and blockchain education and applications in business.
Eman, a self-described “blockchain geek” and developer, is the founder of talent matchmaking hub Arabs in Blockchain, co-founder of NoonDAO, a decentralized autonomous organization focused on empowering Arab women in blockchain, and a co-organizer for Arab Blockchain Week, an annual hybrid conference for players and pioneers in blockchain tech.
“When I started in late 2017,” Eman reflected, “I had a dream to have a community that helps me to learn, inspires me and supports me when needed…and now I [have organized] my first in-person event, full day, at one of the best universities in Egypt.”
Report Date...: 11/07/2022
Mentor(s): Mentor recognized in Top 100 or DEIB – Paria Rajai
Company: ModelExpand
Mentor Type: Impact
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Development
Mentor Paria Rajai has been presented with a “Walk the Walk Award” by recruiting platform Untapped for their Top 100 Leaders in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) of 2022. Untapped is a fully virtual recruiting platform designed to help businesses ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies develop globally representative workforces, develop engaging virtual content and measure return on investment for their DEIB efforts.
Paria is CEO of ModelExpand, “an inclusive workplace strategy firm focused on radically accelerating the presence of historically underrepresented talent in the workforce.” ModelExpand has brought inclusive hiring practices to brands including Levi’s, Lyft and Twitch. She previously worked in the Business and Human Rights Division at Yahoo. Paria has been an active mentor and delegate with TechWomen since 2014.
Report Date...: 10/31/2022
"Fellow leads UX workshop for EdTech platform"
Fellow(s): Fellow leads UX workshop for EdTech platform – Wadzanayi Kimberley Bwanya
Country: Zimbabwe
Cohort: 2022
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development, Youth Engagement
Fellow Wadzanayi Kimberley Bwanya (Zimbabwe, Spring 2022) recently led a UX Design workshop for students at Uncommon.org, an EdTech nonprofit. The training session included the topics of soft skills that define great designers, understanding problems before “diving into design” and methods for justifying design decisions.
Wadzanayi, a leader in UX design and development in her community in Bulawayo, is the founder and CEO of Beedesigned Studio, which provides UX services for socially-conscious organizations. She’s also the cofounder of Tea in 60, a platform for women and girls to network, co-mentor and share opportunities and learnings in STEM. Additionally, she recently served on an expert-led panel discussion, “Utilizing Technology for Growth,” an event sponsored by several tech hubs and studios in the Bulawayo region.
Report Date...: 10/31/2022
Fellow(s): Mentor leads Fulbright Specialist mission in Tajikistan – Erin Keeley
Country: Tajikistan
Cohort: 2015, 2016, 2022
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development, Youth Engagement
TechWomen mentor Erin Keeley recently completed a Fulbright Specialist assignment in Tajikistan. Erin provided workshops and mentored entrepreneurs in the National Association of Business Women Tajikistan Business Accelerator and the United States Alumni Network of Tajikistan. She also met with Access, Flex, and Fulbright students in Khujand and Dushanbe. TechWomen Fellows supported Erin throughout her time in Tajikistan, including Mahina Usmonova (2016), Anzurat Kosimiva (2016), Manzura Khurshed (2022), Matriba Akhmedova (2015), and Sumbulmo Nekqadamova (2015). Erin’s visit culminated in a panel of TechWomen and TechGirls in the American Space in Dushanbe discussing career journeys, TechWomen, and other U.S. State Department programs. The accomplished panelists, including Anzurat, Natalya Tyudina (2018), Zevar Bordachyova Davlatmamadova (2018) and Adolat Shabozova (2022), shared inspiring stories of their time in the United States, critical decisions and career advances following the program.
Read More »Report Date...: 10/10/2022
Fellow(s): Fellow wins EU Goodwill Ambassador role for creators – Afnan Elsherief Elayesh
Country: Libya
Cohort: 2020-2021
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development
Fellow Afnan Elsherief Elayesh (Libya, 2020-2021) has recently been selected as a finalist for the #InTheirEyes content creation competition sponsored EU (European Union ) Neighbors South, thus also securing the role of a Goodwill Ambassador for the EU in Libya.
#InTheirEyes selects six content creators from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, the Palestine Territories and Tunisia to participate in a training cycle during which they learn about European Union activities in the region and various EU-funded projects in different sectors. They are supported by Mentors who provide industry expertise and support them in video production.
Afnan shares that she hopes to be “an honorable example representing my country, Libya” throughout this exciting new journey.
Report Date...: 10/10/2022
Fellow leads project landing acceptance to accelerator
Fellow(s): Safa Buzgeia
Country: Libya
Cohort: 2022
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development, Youth Engagement
Non-profit FabLab Libya has recently been selected into Tadamom Accelerator thanks in great part to the contribution of member and fellow Safa Buzgeia (2022). Safa led the proposal of Libyan STEM Hub, which aims to introduce modern, hands-on STEM teaching methods into Libyan elementary schools. FabLab Libya was selected among 50 organizations out of 345 applications from 28 countries. Tadamon Accelerator is a platform of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in 57 Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries which is implemented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
“Libyan STEM Hub was greatly inspired by my experiences with Techwomen this spring, specifically with Resource Area For Teaching (raft) non-profit organization and a Micro Blocks workshop by Professional Mentor Kathy Giori,” Safa shared. “Furthermore, I directly applied what I learned from the ‘How to Pitch Your Project’ workshop by mentor Eileen Brewer in preparation of the evaluation interview with the UNDP team.”
Report Date...: 10/3/2022
Fellow discusses tech journey on TV and podcast interviews
Fellow(s): Roshaan Saeed
Country: Pakistan
Cohort: 2022
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Development
Fellow Roshaan Saeed of Pakistan (2022) was recently featured on National Television of Pakistan (PTV) to speak about her Techwomen journey. During the interview, she spoke about the application process and why eligible women should make the attempt. She also shed light on the three cornerstones of mentorship within the program and how it provides maximum exposure through networking.
In addition to this interview, Roshaan also recently spoke on an episode of Happy Chirp, one of the most followed women-based podcasts in Pakistan. There, she discussed her STEM career journey, disclosing challenges she faced such as harassment. She encouraged women to move confidently in their careers and inspire cultural change in their workplaces. “Once you have decided to step into professional life, prepare yourself for any circumstances that will come on your way,” Roshaan explained. “You have to fight for it and stay firm and persistent towards your goals.”
Report Date...: 10/3/2022