On Friday, January 10, the Consulate General of the United States in Jerusalem hosted a reunion for three generations of TechWomen alumnae (from the 2011, 2012, and 2013 programs) and two generations of TechGirls alumnae (from 2012 and 2013) at Level5 restaurant in Ramallah. Fifteen alumnae from across the Palestinian Territories, from Jenin in the far north to Gaza in the south, attended the event. The purpose of the reunion was to foster mentoring relationships and facilitate networking among young women interested in the Science, Technology, Environment, and Mathematics (STEM) fields.
The women talked about how their experiences on their respective programs and their impact on their lives. “It was indescribable,” said one TechWomen alumna, adding that she learned to deeply appreciate the art of listening to others from her TechWomen Mentor. Another was surprised to see that women face many of the same problems in STEM-related careers in the U.S. as they do in the West Bank and Gaza. Now, she is focused on giving back to her community and opening doors to women and girls interested in STEM.
The alumnae also gathered in focus groups to discuss three major areas of interest for future projects: Outreach (recruiting you women for STEM exchange programs and to the careers tracks), Mentoring (helping women and girls further their professional development), and Long Term Initiatives (establishing a research center for women, partnering with local tech firms, etc.). After the reunion, each interested alumna was assigned a mentor with whom she will work on her STEM-related aspirations and professional development. In addition, they created a private Facebook group to keep in touch and continue their conversation.
The 2014 Emerging Leader application is now open! Apply today! The deadline is 23:59 Cairo time, Monday February 10, 2014. Help us spread the word by tweeting:
@TechWomen is now accepting applications from rising #womenleaders in #STEM in Africa & the Middle East. Apply today! bit.ly/1dveEnV
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