Impact Stories from Education Diplomacy/Mentoring Policy Area
Fellows presents action plan initiative at Women Ambassador Forum
Fellow(s): Hiba Shabrouq
Country: Jordan
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth
2017 fellow Hiba Shabrouq recently represented Jordan at the Women Ambassadors Forum (WAF) in Dallas, Texas. The forum aims to provide women leaders with resources and the supportive network they need to reach their full potential. While attending, Hiba pitched Ozwah, Team Jordan’s action plan project that won a TechWomen seed grant during the 2017 program. Ozwah strives to make higher education more accessible to female orphans through training and mentorship. After her pitch presentation, Hiba received valuable feedback about the possibility of international collaboration.
The annual Women Ambassadors Forum runs five days and includes professional development seminars, meetings with corporate and community leaders, a speaker series and field trips. WAF receives more than 1,000 applications from changemakers across the globe, but only a select pool is invited to attend.
Report Date...: 6/18/2018
Mentor(s): Catherine Simpson
Company: Agile Learning
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Growth
Mentor Cathy Simpson attended the 2018 Go Viral Festival in Almaty, Kazakhstan, an event that brought together experts in the fields of media, business, culture and technology to create innovative ideas. Fellow Diana Tsoy (2015) served on the festival’s Board of Supervisors, which also included U.S. Consul General Mark Moody and others from the Consulate General, which supported the event.
Cathy is a certified scrum trainer and agile coach at Agile Learning Labs. At the festival, she led workshops on the scrum process and how it can increase productivity for businesses. She also discussed the importance of increasing the presence of women and girls in STEM. In an interview with Go Viral, Cathy shared several tips for companies to become more agile. “Get feedback. Engage your customers, engage your stake holders, engage your team members. There is nothing more vital than doing good project work or creating a good product and making sure you’re on the right track.”
During Cathy’s visit to Kazkhastan, she also traveled to Astana, where she led additional workshops and trainings, including for Technovation participants. Joining activities during Cathy’s visit were fellows Dina Shaikhislam, Bee Makhambet, Yelena Filipchik, Aliya Meldebekova, Veronika Iurchenko, Gulshnar Salpykova and Aliya Mukhametzhanova, as well as 2018 Emerging Leader Nargiza Siyabekova.
Report Date...: 6/18/2018
Fellow selected as U.S. embassy alumna of the month
Fellow(s): Faten Khalfallah
Country: Tunisia
Cohort: 2015
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
Faten Khalfallah, 2015 fellow of Tunisia, was selected as alumna of the month by the U.S. Embassy in Tunisia. During the TechWomen program, Faten was mentored at Autodesk, where she received training on many of the company’s software applications, as well as support from her mentors to launch her own initiative in Tunisia. The embassy highlighted Faten’s efforts as founder of First Skills Club, a non-profit organization that provides STEM programming for youth aged 10 to 16. The program is currently training 150 students in computer programming, robotics and entrepreneurship.
Last year, several students in the First Skills Club participated in the Robotics Olympics in Washington, D.C. and won gold and silver medals in the International Excellence category. Students from the club also attended the 2018 Robotics World Championship in Kentucky, where they won the Judge’s Award and were among the top ten teams of girls aged 12 to 14. Faten is now preparing a team that will soon travel to Mexico to participate in the 2018 Robotic Olympic Games. She hopes that one day Tunisia will become a global technology hub.
Read More »Report Date...: 6/11/2018
Fellow highlights STEM mentorship program in podcast episode
Fellow(s): Chao Mbogo
Country: Kenya
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
2017 fellow of Kenya Dr. Chao Mbogo was interviewed in an episode of Pursuit Podcast about her organization, KamiLimu, which engages computer science students at Kenyan universities in a six-month mentorship program. Chao explains that she launched KamiLimu to address the gap between what students are learning in the classroom and the skills they need to be competitive in the global STEM job market. Since 2016, KamiLimu has supported 96 students, several of whom have won international awards and scholarships after participating in the mentorship program.
Chao discussed the four major pillars that participants learn in the program: innovation and ICT skills, professional development, community involvement and scholarship application and awareness. This model ensures that while students are learning ICT skills to supplement what might be lacking in their curricula, they also receive training to most effectively apply to jobs and scholarships and become active members of the Kenya tech community. Chao said, “Mentorship for me is not inviting someone to talk and then they go away… Mentorship is more long term, and it has to happen every day, every week, every month.”
Report Date...: 6/11/2018
Fellow chosen as Optical Society Ambassador
Fellow(s): Yaseera Ismail
Country: South Africa
Cohort: 2016
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Growth
Yaseera Ismail, 2016 fellow of South Africa, was selected as a 2018 Optical Society Ambassador for her work on quantum communications and the development of quantum-enabled technologies. Yaseera has been an active member of the Optical Society of America (OSA) for nine years and was the founding president of the student chapter in Durban, South Africa in 2012.
OSA Ambassadors are leaders in the field of optics and photonics who are dedicated to supporting the society’s chapters. They provide career advice, technical knowledge and mentorship and support professional development events at different chapters of OSA. Ambassadors also serve as mentors to early career professionals in the optics and photonics fields. Just ten individuals are selected to be ambassadors each year, hailing from across the globe.
OSA was founded in 1916 with the mission to educate and bring together scientists, engineers, educators and technicians from across the globe to engage in professional development.
Report Date...: 6/4/2018
Mentor(s): Erica Lockheimer
Company: LinkedIn Learning
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Growth
Mentor Erica Lockheimer, Head of Engineering at LinkedIn Learning, delivered the commencement speech at her alma mater, the Charles W. Davidson College of Engineering at San Jose State University. Erica shared memories from her years at SJSU and the importance of the friendships she forged while there. According to Erica, many of these relationships have lasted over two decades and were instrumental in her success in college as well as her career.
Erica also advised the class of 2018 to never stop learning. While SJSU provides students with a wealth of knowledge, remaining curious and hardworking is crucial to innovation. Last, Erica implored the graduates to pay it forward and make the tech industry one that is accessible to women and people of color. She noted that women make up only 20% of the tech field in the U.S. and said, “You have the opportunity to create something that is vibrant and represents the diversity of our society. You can do it better than we did.”
Report Date...: 5/28/2018
Team Pakistan makes progress on action plan project
Fellow(s): Zainab Saleem, Bisma Hayat, Saima Shabbir, Shamsa Naz, Sadia Bashir and Saba Rasheed Malik
Country: Pakistan
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
Team Pakistan, one of five teams to win a $3,000 seed grant during the 2017 program for their action plan project, has taken exciting strides to reach their goal. The team members – Zainab Saleem, Bisma Hayat, Saima Shabbir, Shamsa Naz, Sadia Bashir and Saba Rasheed Malik – launched STEM for Change, an organization dedicated to increasing women’s representation in STEM fields.
Only 18% of women in Pakistan are currently engaged or employed in STEM fields. Team Pakistan attributes this gender disparity to a lack of exposure to STEM subjects, particularly among young girls in public school. The team aims to reduce this disparity by leading STEM workshops for girls in middle school and creating a mentorship program and support network for women working in STEM.
So far, the group has finalized details for their networking and launch event, which will showcase plans for the introductory STEM for Change workshop. They have invited potential investors, including NGOs, government organizations, school representatives and parents to the event. Team Pakistan is also currently in the process of designing the STEM for Change curriculum and selecting target schools for future workshops. Their Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tumblr pages will launch in June.
Report Date...: 5/28/2018
Fellow’s organization signs franchise agreement
Fellow(s): Rana El Chemaitelly
Country: Lebanon
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
Rana El Chemaitelly, 2017 fellow of Lebanon, signed a franchise agreement in Lagos, Nigeria for her organization, The Little Engineer, which offers hands-on engineering courses for children and young adults. The agreement is with Jadesola Adedji, who has an organization called STEM METS that provides STEM programming to Nigerian students. Through this partnership, the Nigeria branch of the Little Engineer will begin operations this summer by offering courses, school visits and summer camps.
Rana conceived of her organization in 2009 based on the belief that exposing children to STEM will better prepare them for future challenges and empower them with new ways of thinking. In order to be more widely accessible, the Little Engineer works with summer camps and schools to provide programs in and around Beirut.
Report Date...: 5/21/2018
Fellow launches STEM education campaign
Fellow(s): Lindiwe Matlali
Country: South Africa
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Youth Engagement
Africa Teen Geeks, an organization led by 2017 fellow of South Africa Lindiwe Matlali, launched the Girl Geek campaign last week in partnership with the Ikusasa LeAfrika Foundation (ILAF). The Girl Geek campaign seeks to inspire the next generation of tech innovators by engaging children in a STEM education program that exposes them to robotics, websites, video games and more. Lindiwe hopes to replicate this initiative all over Africa to reach as many students as possible.
Dr. Zweli Mkhize, South Africa’s Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, was selected as the campaign’s patron. During his opening remarks, he said, “I am pleased that this initiative encourages and prepares, especially our young women, to be capable and ready to engage with this exciting new world we find ourselves in.” U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Jessye Lapenn also attended the event and offered remarks expressing support for the initiative.
Report Date...: 5/21/2018
Fellow presents on connections between tech and medicine
Fellow(s): Fatima Zohra Benhamida
Country: Algeria
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Growth
2017 fellow of Algeria Fatima Zohra Benhamida gave a presentation in partnership with MEDSA Al Jazair about how computer science can enhance medical research. Her lecture was part of a larger event, Talk for Brains, that brought together people from a range of disciplines to show how medicine can benefit from diverse fields, including computer science, architecture and veterinary science. Fatima’s presentation explored the ways in which technology can improve communication between individuals and their doctors or hospitals, particularly in emergency situations. Fatima also touched on the Internet of Things, one of her specialties, and how it can be used to enhance patient care and resolve societal health challenges.
MEDSA Al Jazair is a scientific association of students working under the Faculty of Medicine of Algiers. MEDSA’s mission is to establish a platform where medical students can develop skills to best serve their community as health professionals.
Report Date...: 5/14/2018
