Impact Stories from Special Report Policy Area

Mentor(s): Recap: Week Final 10 days of Fall 2022 TechWomen Program

The last ten days of the Fall 2022 TechWomen program kicked off on Monday, October 17 when all 21 teams of Emerging Leaders (ELs) and their Impact Coaches converged for Pitch Day, sponsored by Waymo, to deliver three-minute pitches offering scalable and sustainable solutions to combat socio-economic issues in their home countries.
Several days later, on Thursday, October 20, approximately 600 members of the TechWomen community, including ELs, mentors, partner company representatives and special guests from IIE and the U.S. State Department, gathered at the Juniper Aspiration Dome for the TechWomen@10 anniversary celebration. Events included a keynote speech from Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Lee Satterfield, a reflection panel composed of long-term mentors, the announcement of the five seed-grant winning teams and a pre-recorded message from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who shared five momentous expansions TechWomen will see in the coming years.
The next week, the program traveled to Washington D.C. for the final sprint of activities. On Monday, October 24, the delegation was treated to a State Department-hosted luncheon with a surprise in-person keynote speech from Secretary Blinken and an empowerment panel with ELs and a mentor. The following day started with regional summits and closed with an emotional Certificate Ceremony to mark their transition from ELs to Fellows. To close

Report Date...: 10/31/2022

Mentor(s): Recap: Week Three of Fall 2022 TechWomen Program

Policy Area(s): Special Report

In the third week of the Fall 2022 TechWomen program, Emerging Leaders (ELs) took part in Action Plan Workshop 2, before embarking on a full week focused on intense and immersive mentorship experiences with their volunteer Professional Mentors (PMs), Cultural Mentors (CMs) and Impact Coaches (ICs) from the Bay Area and beyond.
Led by the TechWomen team, with facilitation from Acting Director & Program Manager Casey Bulen, Action Plan Workshop 2 of the three-part series saw country teams and their ICs refining the design of their action plans. The focus of this virtual workshop was on ideating innovative, sustainable, scalable and collaborative projects to address a socioeconomic issue in their home countries. “You’re not trying to solve the very big thing. You’re trying to solve the issue you are seeing day-to-day,” articulated IC Anar Simpson, identifying a key component of action plan success for the Fall 2022 emerging leaders.
For the rest of the week, mentors took the lead in orchestrating a wide array of customized mentorship experiences that involved dynamic virtual, in-person and hands-on activities. To showcase these events, Emerging Leaders Kseniia Tsyganova (Kyrgyzstan), Esther Wanza (Kenya), Fortunate Farirai (Zimbabwe) and Mahitab Elramel (Egypt) participated in “Instagram Takeovers” of the TechWomen account, offering insider looks at their day-to-day experiences.
“In a team of five, the desire not only to be heard but to listen is essential,” Kseniia reflected. “Treating your team with respect is another important thing. But in those unique conditions, something incredible is about to bloom.”

Report Date...: 10/10/2022

Recap: Week Two of Fall 2022 TechWomen Program

Fellow(s):

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Policy Area(s): Special Report

The second full week of the Fall 2022 program kicked off with Action Plan Workshop 1, hosted at Chime, which provided Emerging Leaders (ELs) with the framework for brainstorming a socioeconomic challenge upon which to focus an impact initiative in their home country. Support from Chime was provided by mentor Beth Steinberg and numerous company volunteers with facilitation from YSC Consulting of Accenture. “We didn’t know each other going into this,” reflected EL Reevana Balmahoon. “The TechWomen program brought us together, each from a different region. And now, through this process today, we are Team South Africa.”
Throughout the rest of the week, ELs immersed themselves in professional mentorship, working on their customized goals and networking through office days, field visits, lab trainings, and virtual meetings. “One fascinating thing is how our professional mentors (PMs) operate,” noted EL Esther Wanza of Kenya. “They have been able to bring all the ELs together where we can leverage our skills, which has enabled them to perform their duties while mentoring us.”
To conclude the week, ELs and Impact Coaches (ICs) took part in a networking reception at state-of-the-art Autodesk Gallery. Keynote remarks were provided by Vice President of Engineering Susanna Holt, who offered insights into the power of organic career growth: “We often advise people early in their careers to have a plan, know where you’re going and then just go for it. I never did that. I drifted a bit and it has worked out well for me. I’m a VP now and I’m really proud of myself. And I didn’t do it by going in a straight line.”

Report Date...: 10/3/2022

"Recap: Week One of Fall 2022 TechWomen Program "

Fellow(s):

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Cohort: 2022

Policy Area(s): Special Report

The first ten days of the Fall 2022 program saw the TechWomen community come together for a full, hybrid schedule of orientations, workshops and networking events designed to launch them into the month ahead. The day following their arrival, Emerging Leaders gathered as one for the first time to take part in their Welcome Orientation, hosted at Chan Zuckerberg Biohub with the sponsorship of long-time partner Synopsys and remarks from representatives Jumana Muwafi, Rita Horner (mentor) and Manuela Salvador. The next evening, the community took part in an inspiring, virtual world café-themed Cultural Kick-Off, during which emerging leaders engaged the community with cultural songs, dances, discussions and presentations. The next week launched with a virtual Impact Design Workshop led by partner Autodesk. This was followed by a full-day Leadership Workshop at partner LinkedIn’s headquarters, where emerging leaders enjoyed a Clifton StrengthsFinder session led by mentor Samantha Raniere and a panel discussion featuring LinkedIn’s Heather McKelvey, Monica Lewis, Shalini Agarwal (mentor) and Preeti Dharwadkar. The next day, Emerging Leaders commenced their professional mentorships with individual leaders in STEM from consultancies, startups and partner companies including Juniper Networks, Chime, PG&E and Intel. Finally, to conclude the week, mentors of the TechWomen Alumni Council (TWAC) convened their first in-person event since 2019 at partner Twitter’s headquarters for an evening of networking with opening remarks by Katie Penn and a panel discussion featuring Heather Richbourg, Pranali Khadpe, Mansi Modak, Kathy Giori and Samantha Raniere.

Report Date...: 9/26/2022

Fall 2022 Emerging Leaders convene for Welcome Orientation at CZ Biohub

Fellow(s):

Country:

Cohort: 2022

Policy Area(s): Special Report

On Wednesday, September 21, the Fall 2022 emerging leaders (ELs) of TechWomen arrived in San Francisco, California, hailing from 21 nations in the Middle East, Africa and Central and South Asia. Together with the support of over 250 accomplished STEM industry mentors and 45+ partner companies, the ELs will be working to drive change in their careers and countries through mentorship and connection.
the inaugural year of TechWomen brought 37 Emerging Leaders (ELs) from six countries in the Middle East to Silicon Valley. A little over ten years later, the program has grown to posts 105 Emerging Leaders from Algeria, Cameroon, Egypt, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, Lebanon, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Palestinian Territories, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Zimbabwe. Together with their mentors they will engage in four weeks of hybrid programming featuring customized career mentorship, design and leadership skills workshops, collaborative coaching, cultural exposure and competitive seed grant pitching. This is followed by a final week of programming in the U.S. capital, Washington, DC.

Report Date...: 9/19/2022

"TechWomen hosts series of events preceding fall program "

Fellow(s):

Country:

Cohort: 2022

Policy Area(s): Special Report

Last week, the TechWomen team hosted its Mentor Kick-Off, the final in a series of events preceding the arrival of the Fall 2022 Emerging Leaders (ELs). The Mentor Kick-Off included a panel with experienced TechWomen mentors Samera Edwards (Cultural Mentor), Zoe Schladow (Cultural Mentor), Rita Horner (Impact Coach) and Nicky Avila (Professional Mentor), followed by small-group breakout sessions for volunteers to ask questions and share insights. “For me, the best way to tap into this community is to stay eager and open. I might not always know exactly what to do or how to help, but I’m always willing to show up,” said Zoe, who has previously served as an Impact Coach and Professional Mentor.
The Mentor Kick-Off was the final in a series of pre-arrival events hosted by TechWomen in anticipation of the incoming cohort of ELs in STEM from 21 countries in the Middle East, Africa and Central and South Asia. Following their arrival in the San Francisco Bay Area on Wednesday, September 21, the ELs will begin a four-week hybrid program of workshops, mentorship, fellowship and cultural immersion in the Bay Area, followed by a week of programming in Washington, DC. The kick-off was preceded by three Emerging Leader pre-departure orientations and three mentor orientations conducted in August.

Report Date...: 9/12/2022

fellow learns how to improve her cook stoves

Fellow(s): Happy Amos

Country: Nigeria

Cohort: 2020-2021

Policy Area(s): Special Report

Happy Amos is passionate about saving resources and saving lives through providing cleaner, safer cook stoves to women in West Africa. She founded Roshan Renewables, a clean cooking design and manufacturing company, to bring eco-friendly, affordable and hygienic solutions to rural women. Today, Roshan has distributed over 30,000 stoves – called “Happy Stoves” – as well as safe cooking briquettes made from agricultural waste throughout the region. “My number one goal during TechWomen was to work on improving my cook stoves and also work on increasing our market reach and network with people in my field,” said Happy. She chose to apply her professional development funding to visit the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s D-Lab, a lab that collaborates with leaders around the globe to address global poverty. Happy teamed up with D-Lab’s Biomass Fuel and Cookstoves group, visiting MIT last November and gaining access to their workshop, equipment, Burn Lab and more in order to improve her company’s products. “I had the most amazing experience, ranging from seeing the learning process, having access to the students who worked on improving the cookstoves with me and all the professionals who worked with us,” said Happy. She spent her time at the lab conducting stove testing, strategizing with students on improvements, attending classes and sharing her own experiences as a guest lecturer. By the end of the month, Happy and the D-Lab team had created an improvement plan, made two prototypes and found ways to make the stoves easily replicable at Happy’s factory in Nigeria. “Dan Sweeney from MIT D-Lab was of immense help. The students were amazing, and I met some amazing and smart people,” she said. As the team at D-Lab shared their culture and brought Happy around the area to sightsee, they were also eager to learn about her culture: “I was asked to share the Nigerian culture and food, of which I made them some Nigerian jollof rice and egusi soup,” said Happy.

Report Date...: 1/24/2022

Fellow shares culture and perspective at Arab Model UN

Fellow(s): Hiba Awaysa

Country: Palestinian Territories

Cohort: 2020-2021

Policy Area(s): Special Report

As an incoming Emerging Leader, Hiba Awaysa set a goal to learn about the U.S. and the other countries in the TechWomen 2020-2021 cohort. “I wanted to figure out how we as human beings are different but one in nature,” she said. After a virtual program hindered the cultural exchange she was hoping for, Hiba was excited to use her professional development funds to join 200 participants from over 70 countries at the Arab Model United Nations in Dubai, UAE. Hiba is the founder of Sawaed19 , a hub that matches volunteers to non-profits around the world. Through her initiative, Hiba hopes to empower her local community, particularly youth, to create positive change. At the Model UN, attendees, acting as diplomats, were selected to represent their countries on three different committees: the World Health Organization, the United Nations Environment Program and the United Nations Human Rights, where Hiba was placed. The topic of Hiba’s committee, Addressing Human Rights Violations in Palestine, allowed Hiba to shed light on her own experience: “It was an opportunity to share my own story as a Palestinian,” she said. “To discuss the issue from global perspective, not just mine as a Palestinian, and to realize how others think about the Palestinian issue and accept the difference in their point of view. It’s not easy for me, but it’s mandatory to start a real change, I believe.” Through speaking with change makers and leaders with diverse perspectives, Hiba left the event with new ideas, new directions and new possibilities for Sawaed19. Even more, she fulfilled the cultural exchange she was hoping for: “I proudly showed my traditional dress and many other handmade things from my heritage,” Hiba said. “I believe I got the max I can get from this opportunity.”

Report Date...: 1/24/2022

Fellows and mentor learn together at WebSummit

Fellow(s): Afnan Elsherief, Fadwa Amer, Ibtihal Elshami

Country: Libya

Cohort: 2020-2021

Policy Area(s): Special Report

The Web Summit in Lisbon, Portugal is one of the leading technology conferences in the world, and fellows of Libya Afnan El Sherief, Fadwa Amer and Ibtihal Elshami wanted a front row seat to learn about emerging technologies and network with international technology innovators. Afnan, who attended the summit in the past, was eager to return: “I know how this event is helpful for my professional development,” she said. “It’s not easy to cover the costs of the travel so using TechWomen’s funds was a lifesaver to make this happen.” The fellows had additional TechWomen support while they were in Portugal: after nearly a year of meeting virtually, they finally met their Impact Coach, Jill Finlayson, the director of Expanding Diversity and Gender Equity in Tech Initiative (EDGE) at UC. For three days, the fellows and Jill attended master classes, panels, roundtables and keynotes led by over 700 leaders representing Microsoft, Apple, the ACLU, Black Lives Matter and more. “I had the opportunity to interact with people facing similar challenges to mine, and learn how they were able to overcome them,” said Fadwa Amer, who attended events themed on female founders, diversity and inclusion, inspiring future generations of changemakers and more. “The best and the greatest part of the event was meeting with my Impact Coach, Jill. She is my coach, mentor and a dear friend. She is making a profound impact on my professional development and is the best thing that happened to me through my TechWomen journey.” Afnan, who enjoyed attending talks by the president of Microsoft as well as the president of Portugal, agreed with Fadwa: “Jill was the special part of the experience. A million of thanks will not be enough for what she did,” she said. “We have spent good times together – memories that will last for a lifetime.”

Report Date...: 1/24/2022

Delegation shows young students the possibilities in STEM

Fellow(s): TechWomen delegation trip to Rwanda

Country: Rwanda

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Sustainability, Professional Growth, Special Report, Youth Engagement

On day two of the delegation trip, mentors and fellows met with girls from 10 secondary schools throughout Kigali for a for a full day of hands-on workshops meant to spark creativity, exploration and learning. Together, mentors and fellows led small-group sessions in electronics, engineering, digital media, motherboards, pitch training, design thinking, creative brainstorming and more. In the digital media session, groups of girls used Adobe Spark to create videos on themes of their choosing; in the engineering and architecture session, students used the basic principles of bridge engineering to create their own straw bridges using scissors, straws and tape; in the electronic circuits room, groups of students created LED flashers with sound and experimented with micro:bit hardware.
In all-group sessions during the afternoon, mentors led students through interactive activities that demonstrated the principles of design thinking and creative brainstorming. “There’s no bad idea in brainstorming,” said mentor Molly Glauberman of One Medical. “And when you involve more people, your ideas will get even better.” As mentor Tina Shakour led a pitch training, she reminded the students to make eye contact, tell a compelling story, and – mostly importantly — have fun. After, students split into groups to create one-minute pitches on solutions that can bring more resources to schools. Although just a few teams were asked to present, the students were so eager that ultimately every team came on stage and presented with clarity and confidence. 2018 fellow of Kenya Salome Gathoni closed out the day, inspiring everyone in the room to pursue their curiosities, follow their talents and work hard for their goals. “While we are strong, together we are stronger,” she said. “And together our voices will change the world. You see a girl — we see the future.”

Report Date...: 2/24/20

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