Josiane Ishimwe

General Info

The Top Three Things I Would Like to Learn or Experience During my Mentorship

1. To learn about mobile communication and to understand how big telecommunication companies work to maintain good service to their clients.
2. To acquire skills that will improve my planning and organization of work activities so that I can work more efficiently towards my professional objectives.
3. To learn the best way of teaching STEM to young people including how to inspire them to be innovative and to think big.

Ideal Company Type

My preferred work environment is one that is centered around working as a team where everyone is supportive of each other with a culture that enables team members to learn from others. I would love to work in a company that can organize field visits for me to learn about important infrastructure that a telecommunications company should have and to see new and different technologies that are being used.

What are three adjectives that best describe you in the work place?

1. Courageous
2. Curious
3. Detailed

What impact will your mentorship have on your career and professional path?

The impact of this mentorship on me and my career started when I received the email telling me that I had been selected to interview for TechWomen! I used to be scared to write essays, but after having written eight essays to be selected as a TechWomen Emerging Leader, this is no longer the case. This experience will help me immensely as I apply for my master's degree scholarship and will provide me with the guidance and skills need to improve my research and academic writing. I want to be a lecturer in the future, and I will be more confident as a result of this experience, which will also help me to increase the impact I have on my students.

What will be your most valuable contribution to your TechWomen host company?

I will bring my collaborative spirit and love of teamwork to my host company. I have managed to coordinate the implementation of more than thirty STEM project prototypes where I currently work, a huge accomplishment as its involves many students and trainers with different skillsets and backgrounds. It takes motivation, flexibility and a variety of strategies to work together as a team, and I aim to continually hone these attributes in every project I take on. In addition to my teamwork skills, I will bring my passion to learn from others - this passion contributes to my ability to cooperate and work well with others.

After participating in the TechWomen program, how will you leverage your mentorship experience to make an impact in your home country?

I'm an educator to more than 500 students where I currently work. After this program, I will be empowered and will share everything I learn to empower my students, as well. I like to promote STEM and motivate young girls to pursue STEM careers, which I will continue to do once I return home. I will be able to practice the leadership and other professional skills that I develop through the TechWomen program to continue motivating and bringing more girls into STEM careers. Rwanda is a developing country that is still striving to promote science and technology, so we still need many more people to work in STEM fields.

Work History

Years of Full-time Work Experience

5

Primary Professional Focus

• Educational technology
• Individual contributor leading innovation

Education History

Highest Level of Education Completed

Bachelor's