Impact Stories from Professional Growth Policy Area
Mentor(s): Heather Richbourg
Company: University of California, San Francisco
Mentor Type: Professional
Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth
Last month, TechWomen Professional Mentor Heather Richbourg was recognized with the UCSF Chancellor Award for Advancement of Women. Each year the award recognizes and honors one faculty, one staff and one student at UCSF who have demonstrated a commitment to diversity, inclusion and advancing other women in their field and beyond.
Heather is a NIH-funded postdoctoral researcher in the department of Orthopedic Surgery at UCSF, focusing on studying genetic variations contributing to craniofacial and brain defects during early development. This year, she mentored Emerging Leaders Hanan Khalil of Jordan and Rudo Siwela of Zimbabwe. In her UCSF video feature, Heather said, “I think it’s so important to promote women in sciences. I’ve always been so inspired to help other women when so many women paved the way for women like me to be able to do what I love and do great research.”
Report Date...: 11/4/2019
Fellow named Top 40 Under 40 in Kenya
Fellow(s): Cheryl Kerama
Country: Kenya
Cohort: 2016
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Professional Growth
Last month, 2016 fellow Cheryl Kerama was named to the Top 40 Under 40 list from Business Daily. The annual list features influential entrepreneurs, leaders and innovators who have changed the landscape of business in Kenya.
Cheryl, who holds a master’s in molecular cancer immunology and biotechnology, was most recently a regional trial manager at Johnson & Johnson. In her feature, Cheryl discussed her lifelong passion for science as well as her discovery of an altered gene that is currently being used as a platform for asthma research globally. She also spoke about the challenges of being a woman in science, recalling difficulties she faced when she was part of a team conducting Ebola vaccine clinical trials on children in Africa.
During TechWomen, Cheryl was mentored at Genentech and was part of the 2016 seed grant-winning initiative One Desk One Child.
Report Date...: 11/4/2019
Fellow inspires youth at Model United Nations gathering
Fellow(s): Sarah Abdallah
Country: Lebanon
Cohort: 2016
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
Last month, 2016 fellow Sarah Abdallah was invited to Dubai to deliver a keynote address at the Arab Youth International Model United Nations conference. The annual conference brings together youth throughout the Arab world, facilitating conversation on creating change and peace worldwide. Together, the young delegates debated global issues, created responses to global crises and participated in activities that celebrated cross-cultural exchange.
Sarah is the CEO of LIBRO, a company that addresses youth unemployment challenges in the MENA region by providing training, consulting and recruitment services for universities and companies in STEM fields. In her keynote, Sarah addressed the challenges youth face today, sharing specific setbacks she faced as a young person. She stressed, however, that young people have a powerful voice and a unique ability to create exponential change in their communities. “I explained how young people can turn their problems into opportunities,” she said. Sarah concluded her keynote with an activity called “Inclusion Starts with an ‘I,’” tasking each young person to write down an action they can take to make the world a better place. “I added in my own as well,” says Sarah. “I committed to support the youth of today in becoming the leaders and decision makers of tomorrow.”
Report Date...: 10/21/19
Fellows shares advice for women in tech on BBC Africa
Fellow(s): Sylvia Mukasa
Country: Kenya
Cohort: 2014
Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth
This week, 2014 fellow Sylvia Mukasa was a guest on BBC Africa, speaking about the hurdles women in tech face and sharing best practices for how women can thrive in a male-dominated tech environment.
Sylvia is the CEO of GlobalX Investments and GlobalX Innovation Labs, specializing in emerging enterprise technologies and supporting youth and entrepreneurs in learning 21st century skills. In her interview, Sylvia was asked about the challenges African women face in the tech world. “Organizations have not put in place policies that ensure there is a good representation of women, especially at senior and board levels” she said. “We need policies that are inclusive of everyone to ensure that women know they are protected and wanted in that space.” She concluded her interview with top tips for women in tech, encouraging them to expand their network and prioritize building their skills in order to become competitive job candidates.
Report Date...: 10/21/19
Fellow shares TechWomen experience on Algerian radio
Fellow(s): Soumaya Benbartaoui
Country: Algeria
Cohort: 2012
Policy Area(s): Professional Growth
Recently, 2012 fellow Soumaya Benbartaoui was invited to speak about her TechWomen experience and her work in international telecommunications on Algeria’s national radio station. Soumaya is currently a director of electronic certification as well as the vice chairman at the International Telecommunication Union. She also supports the Algerian chapter of Arab Women in Computing (ArabWIC) as their social media coordinator.
During the hour-long program, Soumaya spoke about the TechWomen program, her mentorship at Juniper Networks and how she implemented her learnings once she returned home. “I shared how shadowing my mentor helped me with management, leadership, negotiation and conflict management,” she says. Soumaya also spoke about how the TechWomen program built up her confidence, empowering her to apply to new leadership positions after the program.
Report Date...: 10/21/19
Alumnae initiative awarded grant from U.S Embassy Algiers
Fellow(s): Amel Djenidi, Salma Bekkouche, Fatima Zohra Benhamida
Country: Algeria
Cohort: 2017, 2018
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
After TechWomen 2018, fellows Amel Djenidi and Salma Bekkouche wanted to continue working together. They began collaborating with 2017 fellow Fatima Zohra Benhamida, and together the three fellows conceived of Heya Caravan, a project that empowers girls and women through STEM education. This week, it was announced that they secured a grant from the U.S. Embassy Algiers’ Alumni Small Grant Competition, which will allow them to launch their project in 2020.
Heya (Arabic for “she”) Caravan will be a one-day training where STEM leaders will share their expertise with women and girls in sessions, workshops and panels. Through roundtables based on four themes — Know Yourself, Build your Skills, Build your Network and Build your Personal Branding – women and high school-aged girls will be supported in building both technical and soft skills. Heya Caravan will also offer six months of remote mentorship to attendees through monthly lessons and assignments on resume writing, networking, skill building and more. In the coming months, the fellows will work to establish additional partnerships and funding, and hope to launch Heya Caravan in 2020 in three cities throughout Algeria.
Report Date...: 10/14/19
Fellow’s initiative wins Harvard alumni impact contest
Fellow(s): Shatha Jayyousi
Country: Jordan
Cohort: 2013
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
This week, it was announced that Code on the Road, the initiative launched by 2013 fellow Shatha Jayyousi, was chosen as the winner for the Harvard Arab Alumni Association impact competition.
The Harvard alumni initiative, 3arabi, aims to support implementation of innovative projects that positively impact the Arab world. Code on the Road is a 2018 AEIF-winning project that empowers migrant women and girls through software and business entrepreneurship training in Athens and Amman.
As the winner, Code on the Road will be matched with an advisory group of representatives from the public and private sectors who will support them through investment, team-building support and strategic partnerships. Shatha and her team will also present their initiative at the upcoming Harvard Arab World Conference in Dubai.
Report Date...: 10/14/19
Fellow featured as tech leader and social impact advocate
Fellow(s): Christa Munezero
Country: Rwanda
Cohort: 2018
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth
Last month, 2018 fellow Christa Munezero was featured by Nsesa Foundation for her work in ICT and her commitment to using tech for social good. Nsesa, a STEM non-profit that educates and trains youth in Africa, features leaders in STEM fields for their ongoing “STEM Wow” series. Christa is the COO of Tap & Go Wifi at the AC Group Rwanda.
In her interview, Christa speaks about her passion for tech, her advice for women in STEM fields and her TechWomen experience. She highlighted her team’s 2018 seed grant-winning initiative, Healing Together, sharing that their work addressing women trauma survivors’ mental health has been her greatest achievement. She concluded the interview with her advice for women in STEM fields: “Do not give up – humble beginnings can create better opportunities.”
Report Date...: 10/14/19
TechGirls and Technovation collaborate in Nablus
Fellow(s): Ayah Soufan, Yamama Shakaa, Ruba Awayes
Country: Palestinian Territories
Cohort: 2015, 2016, 2017
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
Last month, 2015 fellow Ayah Soufan collaborated with 2016 fellow Yamama Shakaa and 2017 fellow Ruba Awayes for a closing ceremony of the 2019 Technovation season. Ayah, the event organizer, is a regional ambassador of the Technovation Challenge as well as a leader of the TechWomen /TechGirls Club in the West Bank.
The event brought together nearly 90 girls between the ages of 10 to 17, as well as their Technovation mentors. Yamama, who served as a mentor for the team that won second place in 2018, and Ruba were featured speakers, sharing the importance of seeking innovative solutions to leading issues in their community. Technovation participants also had an opportunity to share their experience and highlight what they’d learned.
Two TechGirls alumnae, Nagham Joudeh and Sima Sbouh, joined to speak about the TechGirls program and share its transformative effect on their lives and career paths. Nagham is now a sixth-year medical school student, and Sima is a second-year computer engineering student. “I’m sure that this will be the beginning of many different events that feature collaboration between Techwomen and TechGirls alumnae,” said Ayah.
Report Date...: 10/7/19
Mentor(s): Eileen Brewer, Rekha Pai-Kamath, Chepkemoi Magdaline
Mentor Type: Impact
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
TechWomen Impact Coaches Eileen Brewer and Rekha Pai-Kamath, as well as TechWomen 2019 Emerging Leader Chepkemoi Magdaline, were featured speakers at this month’s 2019 Grace Hopper Celebration. The annual event is the world’s largest gathering of women technologists and brings comprehensive programming featuring global women leaders.
Eileen’s session, “Pitch Perfect,” offered 10 elements for creating an impactful pitch deck. Rekha was a featured panelist in “Creating Meaningful Impact through Tech Non-profits,” sharing her expertise on how tech can offer sustainable solutions to leading issues. Chepkemoi, who attended the event after week one of TechWomen 2019, was a winner of the AnitaB.org Pass It On program, which offers grants to women whose projects support women in computing. Alongside TechWomen alumnae, Chepkemoi is a part of North-Rift Women in STEM Inclusion Project, an initiative that organizes three-day boot camps women in rural regions of Kenya. At GHC, Chepkemoi led a session and participated in a panel speaking about her work supporting and empowering women and girls.
Report Date...: 10/7/19
