Impact Stories from Professional Development Policy Area
Fellow sponsored by two fellowships for MBA at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business
Fellow(s): Hana Kerkebane
Country: Algeria
Cohort: 2020-2021
Policy Area(s): Professional Development
Fellow Hana Kerkebane (Algeria, 2020-2021) is currently on track to graduate from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business Class of 2024 with a Master of Business Administration. She attends the program with support from the university’s Forté Fellowship, which awards partial to full scholarships for diverse candidates who demonstrate exemplary leadership and dedication to advancing women in business. She is also funded, for the second year in a row, by the International Fellowship of the American Association of University Women (AAUW), which awards funding to exceptional candidates in their pursuit of academic or community projects.
With a B.S. in mining and mineral engineering, Hana has eight years of experience in the oil and gas industry with roles ranging from field engineer to software and cloud services business developer. She also has extensive experience as a blogger, podcast host and TV host. This summer she served as a product marketing manager at Microsoft in Seattle, Washington.
“I realized that the skills I used the most were my communication skills and the leadership aspect of how to work effectively in a team environment,” she shares of her experience with Microsoft, where she intends to return following the completion of her MBA to join the OnRamp rotational program in cloud marketing.
Outside of her studies at Faque, Hana is serving as a marketing club mentor, energy club cabinet member and co-president of Muslims in Business.
Report Date...: 12/04/2023
Fellow visits Tbilisi for networking with WE-Champs
Fellow(s): Darika Aldasheva
Country: Kyrgyzstan
Cohort: 2022
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development
Fellow Darika Aldasheva (Kyrgyzstan, 2022) shared her experience with the TechWomen program during a panel discussion in Tbilisi, Georgia this December for Strengthening the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem by Networking Regional Women’s Chambers of Commerce and Business Associations (WE-Champs), for which she was recently selected as a beneficiary. WE-Champs, funded by the U.S. State Department Office of Global Women’s Issues (S/GWI) and facilitated by the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), aims to promote women’s economic security and gender-responsive institutions in Europe and Eurasia.
The event brought together women entrepreneurs and leaders of women’s associations and chambers of commerce from 15 countries across the region to share best practices and discuss the findings from the Regional Gender Analysis.
Report Date...: 12/11/2023
Fellow selected as eTradeforWomen Community Leader
Fellow(s): Tadhim Uwizeye
Country: Rwanda
Cohort: 2023
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development
Fellow Tadhim Uwizeye (Rwanda, 2023) has recently been selected to serve as an Anglophone African countries’ Community Leader for eTradeforWomen, an initiative of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). UNCTAD is an intergovernmental organization within the United Nations Secretariat that amplifies the interests of developing countries in world trade. ETradeforWomen promotes women’s economic empowerment and gender equality by providing a platform for women entrepreneurs to elevate their knowledge, skills and resources in digital innovation, e-commerce & entrepreneurship. Community Leaders must be female CEOs or founders of digital businesses that have been in operation for at least two years.
Tadhim is the founder and CEO of Olado, an e-commerce platform offering business-to-consumer product sales for Rwandan enterprises and organizations.
Report Date...: 12/04/2023
"Fellow leads two sessions at Ololo STEAM Camp for Girls "
Fellow(s): Kseniia Tsyganova
Country: Kyrgyzstan
Cohort: 2022
Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development, Youth Engagement
Fellow Kseniia Tsyganova (Kyrgyzstan, 2022) recently led two sessions at the Ololo STEAM Camp for Girls in Bishkek last month. Organized by Ololo Creative Hubs with support from the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek, the event hosted school-aged girls seeking to learn to develop websites and digital projects.
Kseniia’s first session offered an introduction to STEAM, defining the terms and illustrating how technologies can support arts. She later delivered a session on how to create a website without coding expertise. “Not everything has to be code,” she reiterated in a recent post. “Coding is a tool and shouldn’t be an obstacle to learning or creation!”
Kseniia is a community manager for software company Turbine Kreuzberg. She also has experience as a front end developer and media relations professional.
Report Date...: 12/04/2023
Fellow announces founding of STEM training and university preparation platform Stemio
Fellow(s): Natalya Yusupova Klimenko
Country: Uzbekistan
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development, Youth Engagement
Fellow Natalya Yusupova Klimenko (Uzbekistan, 2017) has recently announced the founding of Stemio, an innovative online learning platform designed to help students prepare for STEM courses and gain greater access to universities and the admissions process. Subscribers to the platform will receive access to worldwide courses, 24/7 online support, unlimited practice and knowledge testing opportunities, and guaranteed university admission.
“By my calculations, every year more than 2 million school students in Central Asia and neighboring countries take exams in mathematics, physics, chemistry or biology when applying to STEM universities.” Natalya explained in a recent announcement. “80% of them fail due to the low level of education in schools. It is an incredible 2 billion dollar opportunity in this region alone.”
Natalya has a professional background in digital marketing management and most recently served as the Head of Sales at Billz, a retail business management software company. She launched Stemio to help students shore up teacher and resource shortages, combat institutional corruption, alleviate personal study pressures and develop a clear and desirable career path.
Report Date...: 11/27/2023
Mentor(s): Mentor Ishita Majumdar
Company: eBay
Mentor Type: Professional
Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Development
Mentor Ishita Majumdar was recently selected for the third annual Power 100 list by Diversity Woman Media. The list is comprised of emerging women visionaries and change leaders in the technology, finance, medicine, retail and transportation industries.
Ishita is the Vice President of data analytics platforms at eBay and previously served as the President of eBay Women in Technology (eWIT) for three years. She is also a founding member of Chief, a private network designed for senior executive women across all industries that works to drive and keep women in positions of power.
“[Ishita] is highly respected in eBay for her vast technology expertise, proactive customer engagement, and execution prowess,” her Power 100 bio states. “Majumdar is a champion for diversity and inclusion and actively invests in growing girls and women in tech.”
Report Date...: 11/27/2023
Fellow(s): Mistura Muibi-Tijani
Country: Nigeria
Cohort: 2022
Policy Area(s): Professional Development
Fellow Mistura Muibi-Tijani, (Nigeria, 2022) recently led the IEEE R8 Africa Student and Young Professionals Congress of 2023 at Baze University in Abuja, Nigeria. The three-day event brought together 105 delegates represented by leaders, students and young professionals from eight countries across Africa and beyond for networking, knowledge sharing and collaboration. The event aimed to foster personal and professional development through workshops, contests, panel discussions, excursions and keynote addresses from notable Nigerian figures.
“Personally, it felt like another IEEE R8 Young Professionals SYP and TechWomen experience,” Mistura shared in a recent post. “Some of the best practices I learnt during both programs were useful in leading the team.” Mistura serves as the IEEE R8 YP Chair of Nigeria and is the founder of VertSTEM, a nonprofit organization utilizing STEM education to bridge the digital and economic divide for underserved, rural students in Nigeria.
Read More »Report Date...: 11/13/2023
Three fellows serving as 2022 - 2023 Humphrey Fellows
Fellow(s): Dilafruz Mamadjonova, Edith Mugehu, and Hamis Abdelhady Elgabry
Country: Egypt, Tajikistan, Zimbabwe
Cohort: 2018, 2020-2021, 2022
Policy Area(s): Professional Development
Fellows Dilafruz Mamadjonova (Tajikistan, 2020-2021), Edith Mugehu (Zimbabwe, 2018) and Hamis Abdelhady Elgabry (Egypt, 2022) are currently in the U.S. as 2022-2023 Humphrey Award Fellows. President Jimmy Carter initiated the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program in 1978 to provide accomplished global professionals one year of non-degree academic study and professional development opportunities in the United States, with the goal of fostering international mutual understanding and collaboration. Hamis, the Head of Grants and Partnerships at Egyptian agri-tech startup Mozare3, and Dilafruz, a partnership specialist at USAID’s Future Growth Initiative, are being hosted at Michigan State University. Edith, a research associate in plant breeding at the Zimbabwe Sugar Association Experiment Station is being hosted at Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Report Date...: 11/13/2023
Mentor(s): Lori Kahn and Claudia Galvan
Company: Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Oracle
Mentor Type: Professional and Cultural
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Development
The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) recently announced mentors Lori Kahn of Lockheed Martin Space Systems and Claudia Galvan of Oracle among its five 2023 recipients of the Advocating Women in Engineering Award. This is one of the highest distinctions awarded by SWE is bestowed on members of the engineering field who have demonstrated a track record of professional excellence and advocacy for women in engineering.
They will be honored during the annual WE23 conference held this year in Los Angeles from October 26 to 28, alongside other global players making significant contributions to the advancement of women in STEM.
“There’s more advocating to do to get more girls into STEM careers and keep them there,” Lori expressed in a recent post announcing the honor.
Report Date...: 09/25/2023
Fellow gives talk on upcoming public health initiative
Fellow(s): Aliaa Ahmed (Egypt, 2022)
Country: Egypt
Cohort: 2022
Policy Area(s): Professional Development, Public Health
Fellow Aliaa Ahmed (Egypt, 2022) recently delivered an address unveiling an upcoming public health campaign at 4th International Annual Conference of the Egyptian Academy of Bone Health and Metabolic Bone Disease in Cairo. Representing the Egyptian Food Bank (EFB), where she serves as the Growth Lab’s Head of the Nutrition and Research Unit, Aliaa outlined their upcoming Vitamin-D centered wellness initiative to promote national health outcomes, particularly in the elderly population, by raising awareness, distributing supplements, and providing educational resources on the vital role of Vitamin D in health. In her role at EFB, Aliaa shapes public programming and data-driven reporting. She is also the founder of Dep-Nomken, an initiative addressing the nutritional needs of individuals with intellectual disabilities, and a public health and nutrition lecturer at both the American University in Cairo and Tanta University.
Read More »Report Date...: 11/20/2023
