Impact Stories from Professional Development Policy Area
Fellow(s): Iman Dankar
Country: Lebanon
Cohort: 2022
Policy Area(s): Professional Development, Public Health
Fellow presents food safety research at EFFoST in Bruges
Fellow Iman Dankar (Lebanon, 2022), a lecturer and researcher at the Lebanese American University and the University of Balamand, recently presented her findings at the 2024 EFFoST Conference in Bruges, Belgium. Her research focused on the food safety of Lebanese dairy products, examining the accumulation of biogenic amines in relation to various physiological parameters. The study underscores the need to integrate food safety measures with Lebanon’s broader food security objectives and advocates for the establishment of robust surveillance systems to safeguard public health. The research was a collaborative effort with Lebanese American University’s Dr. Hussein F. Hassan and University of Balamand’s Dr. Mireille Serhan.
Dankar’s participation was made possible through a Next-Gen TechCamp grant supported by the U.S. Embassy in Amman, enabling her to share insights from Lebanon and engage with international experts in food science and technology.
Report Date...: 11/18/2024
Fellow(s): Lily Asongfac
Country: Cameroon
Cohort: 2023
Policy Area(s): Professional Development, Youth Engagement
Fellow wins inaugural Young Person of the Year Award for advancement in global space landscape & youth advocacy
On October 30, Fellow Lily Asongfac (Cameroon, 2023) won the inaugural Young Person of the Year distinction by the Cameroon Youth Awards presented at Cameroon International Tech Summit (CITSCM) held at the Palais des Congrès in Yaoundé. This distinction recognizes her passionate dedication to advancing the global space landscape and advocating for youth empowerment. Lily is an International Account Manager for SpaceVrse and founder of the Aerospace Baby Project, which drives youth interest in aerospace and STEM. She has lent her technical expertise to support significant projects, such as the design of a nanosatellite mission for the Gabonese Space Agency.
Lily has garnered a multitude of prestigious honors and opportunities this year in recognition of her contributions to the aerospace industry this year. The International Astronautical Federation (IAF) recognized Lily as an Emerging Space Leader, which earned her an invitation to the 75th International Astronautical Congress in Milan, Italy. She was also announced as a 2024 African Space Leader Award winner by the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC), which will take her to the upcoming African-Pacific Space Generation Workshop in Abuja, Nigeria November 20 to 21. Additionally, she was named one of the 2024 Women Engineers You Should Know by the Magazine of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE).
“This recognition is a testament to the power of dreaming big, pushing boundaries, and staying committed to making a difference. The sky is NOT the limit—it’s only the beginning,” Lily shared in a celebratory post.
Lily plans to attend the TechWomen Alumnae Summit in Morocco this December where she hopes to connect with other leading women in aerospace who are pioneering advancements and innovations.
Report Date...: 11/04/2024
Fellow(s): Nezha Larhrissi
Country: Morocco
Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Development, Youth Engagement
Fellow launches Titrit Girls Collaborative Council with Social Innovation Lab for TechGirls, Technovation & Digigirlz alum
Youth digital skills development initiative eSTEM Morocco, led by fellow Nezha Larhrissi (Morocco, 2013), recently launched the Titrit Girls Collaborative Council at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) in partnership with the Social Innovation Lab (SIL) ahead of the International Day of the Girl on October 11, 2024.
Convening 17 girls from diverse regions across Morocco, the council aims to galvanize alumnae from STEM programs including TechGirls, Technovation Girls and Digigirlz to design the structure and objectives of the Titrit Girls Collaborative Council in preparation for an upcoming eSTEAM Festival. Under the mentorship of eSTEMorocco and SIL, invitees took part in a two-day event designed to enhance their leadership skills and establish regional action plans as part of eSTEM Morocco’s “vision of digitally including 50,000 girls from disadvantaged backgrounds by 2025.”
Ideated and established by TechWomen’s seed-grant winning Team Morocco in 2013, eSTEM Morocco, has since earned international recognition and support, including the United Nations Foundation’s Global Citizen Education Award and an Aspen Digital Equity Accelerator placement. During the 2023 TechWomen Delegation to Morocco, eSTEM Morocco launched the Titrit digital platform, which provides training, mentorship, and networking opportunities for girls across Morocco.
Nezha will give a pitch focused on Digital Access to the Titrit App at the Alumnae Summit in Morocco this December.
Report Date...: 11/04/2024
Fellow(s): (mentor) Cora Lam and (fellows) Aigerim Kurmanbekova, Aisuluu Kozhomkulova, Mira Zholdoshalieva, Tatayana Plotnikova, Bermet Dosmambetova, and Elmira Obry
Country: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, United States
Cohort: 2022, 2023, 2024
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development
Mentor Speaks at Inaugural Central Eurasia @ Silicon Valley Conference attended by Fellows and Mentors
Mentor Cora Lam recently spoke on a distinguished panel at the first-ever Central Eurasia @ Silicon Valley (CESV) Conference, held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco on October 25, 2024. Hosted by the Silkroad Innovation Hub, this landmark event brought together over 1,200 participants, including 150 venture capitalists, 100 exhibiting startups, and 300 founders, to celebrate the role of Central Eurasia in the future of global innovation.
On the panel, titled “Women Shaping the Future of Tech,” Cora joined Nazira Nurbayeva, Consul-General of Kazakhstan in San Francisco, alongside several other experts and advisers in entrepreneurship. Together, they discussed the power of mentorship, government policy, and venture capital in driving opportunities for women in technology, offering insights into policy and funding landscapes shaping growth opportunities in tech for Central Eurasian women and highlighting mentorship’s critical role in this development.
The event drew several Central Asian Fellows to Silicon Valley, including Aigerim Kurmanbekova (Kyrgyzstan, 2023), Aisuluu Kozhomkulova (Kyrgyzstan, 2023), Mira Zholdoshalieva (Kyrgyzstan, 2024), Tatayana Plotnikova (Kazakhstan, 2019), Bermet Dosmambetova (Kyrgyzstan, 2022), and Elmira Obry (Kazakhstan, 2022), the latter two of whom are scheduled to present a session at the TechWomen Alumnae Summit in Morocco this December. Mentors Kathy Giori and Meg Gordon also joined the event, underscoring the TechWomen community’s ongoing commitment to fostering cross-border collaboration.
Report Date...: 10/28/2024
Fellow(s): Faten Khalfallah Hammouda
Country: Tunisia
Cohort: 2015
Policy Area(s): Professional Development, Youth Engagement
Fellow Honored by P.M. for Victories in Global Robotics
Fellow Faten Khalfallah Hammouda (Tunisia, 2015), co-founder of First Skills Club, was honored at the Government Palace in the Kasbah by Tunisian Prime Minister Kamal Maddouri on October 19, 2024. This ceremony celebrated young Tunisian leaders who achieved recent international success in technology, science, and innovation. Faten’s robotics team, the Carthage Eagles, earned two gold medals and one bronze at the prestigious FIRST Global Challenge, the world’s largest annual robotics competition, which was held in Athens, Greece from September 26 to 29 of this year.
Reflecting on the recognition, Faten said, “This honor, along with the support we’ve received, encourages us to move forward in our mission to empower youth to become future tech leaders and inspires us to continue our strategy with great determination.”
Faten is scheduled to join the the first global TechWomen Alumnae Summit in Casablanca, Morocco this December.
Report Date...: 10/28/2024
Fellow(s): Ebenezer Ajah Chris, Rumana Kabir, and Stella Uzochukwu-Denis
Country: Nigeria
Cohort: 2019, 2023
Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Development, Youth Engagement
Fellows serve as Every Girl 2.0 Program Mentors in Nigeria
As part of the Every Girl 2.0 Program, supported by the Khalil Suleiman Halilu Foundation in partnership with USAID, fellows Ebenezer Ajah Chris (Nigeria, 2023), Rumana Kabir (Nigeria, 2023) and Stella Uzochukwu-Denis (Nigeria, 2019) recently served in a three-month mentorship program dedicated to guiding young women in tech career development, goal setting and personal growth.
The program provided training in foundational tech skills, internet literacy, and digital careers for young women aged 14-21 from underserved communities across Nigeria. Learning topics included an introduction to internet technology, digital communication tools, cybersecurity Awareness and online safety.
“Special thanks also to the TechWomen community and U.S. Embassy in Nigeria,” Ebenzer recently shared, “for inspiring Techwomen alumnae like myself to lead, give back and empower others.”
Report Date...: 10/28/2024
Fellow(s): (fellows) Aliaa Ahmed, Ainura Sagyn, Binta Moustapha, Ouafa Belgacem, Sabina Nforba, and Tofara Chekera, and (mentors) Katie Penn and Queen Denchukwu
Country: Cameroon, Egypt, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Tunisia, United States, Zimbabwe
Cohort: 2014, 2017, 2020-2021, 2022, 2023
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Development
Fellows & Mentors play key roles in opening weeks of 79th UN General Assembly
Fellows Aliaa Ahmed (Egypt, 2022), Ainura Sagyn (Kyrgyzstan, 2017), Binta Moustapha (Nigeria, 2014), Ouafa Belgacem (Tunisia, 2023), Sabina Nforba (Cameroon, 2020-2021) and Tofara Chekera (Zimbabwe, 2022), and Mentors Katie Penn and Queen Denchukwu reportedly participated in various capacities at the opening weeks of the 79th United Nations General Assembly in New York this September.
Several Fellows took on leadership and speaking roles. At the UN Summit of the Future, Tofara, Founder of Tofara Online Trust, took the stage to deliver a speech on “how embracing the digital world unlocks a future filled with endless opportunities.” Similarly, Aliaa, Director of Foreign Relations and Policy Affairs at the Egyptian Food Bank (EFB), participated in an open dialogue on transforming global governance and promoting the implementation of Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development at the Summit of the Future. There, she underscored the EFB’s efforts to empower youth through development initiatives aimed at tackling food security challenges. Binta, Founder of youth training initiative Cabinet Hub Zinder and STEM education program Elmira Schools, was invited to speak at the Intergenerational Partnerships for Just Climate Transition and Digital Futures workshop, a part of the UN Summit of the Future organized by UN University-IIGH at Columbia University.
Meanwhile, Sabina hosted and launched a groundbreaking policy brief on Artificial Intelligence for Youth Sustainable Development in Africa, which she called her “legacy as the Digital Innovation Lead at the African Union.” This brief, developed by the Office of the AU Chairperson’s Youth Envoy in collaboration with the UN Global Compact & African Export-Import Bank, shares lessons Sabina learned through the Make Africa Digital initiative which she coordinated and led for the past two years.
Report Date...: 09/30/2024
Fellow(s): Olamide Ayeni
Country: Nigeria
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Entrepreneurship, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Development
Fellow selected for Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship
Fellow Olamide Ayeni (Nigeria, 2017), Chief People Officer of waste transformation organization HOPCYKU, has been named a 2025 finalist of the Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship. In this role, she will contribute her expertise to critical marine, coastal and Great Lakes policy issues for the U.S. Executive Branch.
“I’m especially glad that the work I do through HOPCYKU, bringing life to discarded waste products that would have otherwise ended up in our oceans and lakes, serves as the bedrock of my passion for sustainable solutions,” shared Olamide, who is pursuing a Master of Engineering and Industrial Management at Michigan Tech University.
The Knauss Fellowship offers graduate students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience developing and implementing national policy. Finalists are selected by panels of national experts in marine science, policy and education.
Report Date...: 09/30/2024
Fellow(s): Reshma Singh
Country:
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Development
Mentor Leads Cradle to Commerce 2024 Summit at LBNL
Mentor Reshma Singh, Program Director of Cradle to Commerce (C2C), recently led the C2C 2024 Summit at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL).
C2C is a partnership of four national labs and three private incubators. Reshma delivered opening addresses and closing remarks for this invite-only two-day event that convened experts and thought leaders in the fields of nuclear energy, renewables, grid modernization and energy storage. Spotlighting C2C’s startups, National Lab experts, and industry partners, the summit amplified pioneering solutions in climate technology through key note addresses, panel discussions, live pitches, a startup showcase, tours of LBNL facilities and meaningful networking opportunities.
Report Date...: 09/30/2024
Fellow(s): Natalya Klimenko
Country: Uzbekistan
Cohort: 2018
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development
Fellow Launches StartCamp for Women Entrepreneurs
Fellow Natalya Klimenko (Uzbekistan, 2018), founder of the online learning platform Stemio, has co-launched StartCamp, a transformative program designed to accelerate the growth of women-led businesses. After three months of preparation, StartCamp recently held its Orientation Day in Tashkent, officially welcoming 19 remarkable women entrepreneurs. Over the next eight weeks, these businesses will undergo intensive training focused on sales, marketing, and achieving measurable results.
The program includes twice-weekly mentorship sessions and workshops, along with traction meetings to track progress. Participants will have access to valuable networking opportunities with industry experts and potential investors, helping them refine their strategies and build effective sales funnels. With guidance from StartCamp’s expert team, the goal is to help these startups secure their first sales, grow their client base, and prepare for future investment opportunities.
Klimenko emphasized the excitement surrounding the program’s potential, writing “I’m very proud of everyone and looking forward to what’s ahead. The best part? We’re just getting started!”
StartCamp is supported by a range of partners, including UNDP Uzbekistan, U-ENTER Innovation Center, Uzum, Dodo Pizza, and weproject.media C-space, all dedicated to fostering entrepreneurial success in the region.
Report Date...: 09/23/2024
