Impact Stories from Professional Growth Policy Area
Fellow launches training initiative for local youth
Fellow(s): Mpara Faith
Country: Cameroon
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
2017 fellow of Cameroon Mpara Faith recently launched ICT4KIDS, a training program to educate and empower local children in Cameroon. Using lessons in computer programming, game development and graphic design, Mpara and her staff spent six weeks training 16 girls and boys ages five to 18.
The program culminated at the University of Buea in a closing ceremony, during which participants received certificates and prizes for their various projects developed during the training sessions. ICT4KIDS also released a video featuring program highlights, such as in-class programming, game design and cartooning sessions.
While in TechWomen, Mpara was mentored at Synopsys and was a member of the seed grant-winning team behind Able Too. Currently, she is the co-founder and operations manager at New Generation Technologies and was named one of the 50 most influential young Cameroonians in 2017.
Report Date...: 9/3/2018
Emerging Leader shares perspective in guest blog post
Fellow(s): Tozama Qwebani-Ogunleye
Country: South Africa
Cohort: 2018
Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth
In our new TechWomen blog series, Emerging Leader Voices, Emerging Leaders are invited to share their perspectives and experiences with the TechWomen Community. Dr. Tozama Qwebani-Ogunleye, 2018 Emerging Leader from South Africa, begins the series with her guest post, “Embracing challenges, taking opportunities.” Tozama, a lifelong student of math and science, reflects on her upbringing, the challenges she faced and how her path led her to TechWomen. “My experience taught me that failures could be overcome with hard work,” she says.
During her professional mentorship, Tozama hopes to build a global professional network and drive positive change internationally. “Becoming a TechWomen fellow is such a celebration,” she writes. “It has the potential to put my name, my family name, my university and my town on the map of potential future leaders in science.” Currently, Tozama is Project Director at Vaal University of Technology.
Report Date...: 8/27/2018
Fellow presents scientific research at STEM symposium
Fellow(s): Saima Shabbir
Country: Pakistan
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Professional Growth
Dr. Saima Shabbir, 2017 fellow of Pakistan, was awarded a travel grant to participate in the New York Academy of Sciences STEM Exchange: Research and Career Symposium on August 28. The symposium, hosted in partnership with PepsiCo, provided 50 exceptional students and early career scientists an opportunity to present their research and engage with industry leaders. Saima’s presentation, “Polymer stabilized antimicrobial nanocarrier systems for enhanced food safety against multidrug resistant pathogens,” was awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Research.
Saima, an assistant professor at the Institute of Space Technology, is currently a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at Pennsylvania State University. While in the TechWomen program, she was mentored at Draper University, an entrepreneurship development center and incubator in Silicon Valley.
Report Date...: 8/27/2018
Team Tunisia wins four awards at FIRST Global Challenge 2018
Fellow(s): Faten Khalfallah
Country: Tunisia
Cohort: 2015
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
2015 fellow of Tunisia Faten Khalfallah led a group of students to victory at the 2018 FIRST Global Challenge in Mexico City. The annual robotics competition, which centers on 14 Grand Challenges for improving life on the planet as identified by the U.S National Academy of Engineering, brings together 192 countries in a three-day Olympics-style robotics competition. Team Tunisia, comprised of local youth mentored by Faten, won two gold medals: the Dr. Mae Jemison Award for International Unity, awarded to teams that break down barriers and build bridges, and the Munsa Mousa award for fundraising. They also won the Social Media Award, and Faten was presented the Outstanding Mentor Award for her exceptional leadership.
While in the TechWomen program, Faten was hosted at Autodesk, learning more about 3D design software. After returning home, she organized a summer tech camp to bring students together for five days of immersive STEM experiences and was selected as a 2016 Generation Change Fellow from the United States Institute of Peace. Currently, she is a regional project coordinator and ambassador of the VEX Girl-Powered Initiative at VEX Robotics.
Report Date...: 8/27/2018
Fellow shares delegation trip experience in blog post
Fellow(s): Binta Moustapha
Country: Nigeria
Cohort: 2014
Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
In a blog written for Science Communication Hub Nigeria, 2014 fellow Binta Moustapha shares her experience during the TechWomen delegation trip to Nigeria, where she faciliatated a hands-on STEM day for girls aged 13-18 in Abuja:
“The beauty of the workshop and others hosted during this visit was an amazing opportunity for some of these delegates – the Tech Ambassadors – to get the first-hand experience of Nigeria while providing meaningful transfer of knowledge skills and experience with both the participants and the TechWomen fellows… We should continually promote such exchanges, especially the acquisition of digital skills and making science fun to learn.”
Binta’s post, “TechPlomacy: a new frontier for Nigeria,” can be found here.
Report Date...: 8/20/2018
TechWomen partners with Microsoft for Ignite conference
Fellow(s): Nisrine Deeb, Ouafa Benterki, Noura Ghali Bergouza, Fatima Zohra Benhamida
Country: Algeria, Lebanon, Tunisia
Cohort: 2012, 2013, 2014
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Growth
IIE is pleased to announce a partnership with Microsoft, which will sponsor four TechWomen alumnae to speak at and attend the 2018 Microsoft Ignite conference. Nisreen Deeb, 2013 fellow of Lebanon, Ouafa Benterki and Fatima Zohra Benhamida, 2012 and 2017 fellows of Algeria, respectively, and Noura Ghali Bergouza, 2014 fellow of Tunisia, were selected to take part in the sold-out event held on September 24-28 in Orlando, Florida. Now in its fourth year, Microsoft Ignite connects IT professionals to industry leaders shaping the future of tech innovation. Through 700+ deep-dive sessions, learning labs and high-profile keynotes, attendees will gain insight and skills catering to their personal and professional interests. During the five-day event, TechWomen alumnae will participate in diversity pre-day activities as well as speak at breakout sessions and panels, including a session discussing how IT pros can be better advocates for diversity and inclusion.
Nisreen works a systems analyst and project manager, and is the founder of The Mini Programmer, a computer programming curriculum for students. Ouafa is CEO of MTY Intelligent Software, a technology startup that provides data analytics and localization services and was named the Women in Data Science Ambassador to Algeria in 2017-18. Fatima serves as Assistant Professor at the National School of Computer Science in Algiers. Noura, a cloud and B2B service manager at Tunisie Telecom, is also the Vice President of Women Leaders in Technology Tunisia.
Read More »Report Date...: 8/20/2018
Fellow launches STEM training program for youth
Fellow(s): Beatrice Sonfack
Country: Cameroon
Cohort: 2016
Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
2016 fellow of Cameroon Beatrice Sonfack recently launched INNOVTECH, an after-school training program for local youth. The program begins with STEM-based teaching and training and culminates in a week of hands-on activities and experiments in a local makerspace. At the end of INNOVTECH, students present their projects to a panel of judges, competing for the opportunity to receive mentoring and guidance on how to bring their project to market. The program is part of Wentech, an initiative Beatrice launched that encourages young girls to become involved in STEM through education and training.
Beatrice, an electrical engineer and educator, was hosted by Folsom Labs while in the TechWomen program.
Read More »Report Date...: 8/13/2018
Mentor(s): Rekha Pai, Erin Keeley, Maile Smith, Diana Macias, Bianca Lederer, Sandra Chen
Company: Cresta Ventures, Facebook, Genentech, Twitter, Western Digital
Mentor Type: Impact, Professional
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
A group of six TechWomen mentors traveled to Malaysia to lead programming to empower, connect and support the next generation of women leaders in STEM fields. Supported by the U.S. Department of State and working closely with U.S. Embassy Kuala Lumpur, Rekha Pai (of Cresta Ventures), Erin Keeley (Western Digital), Maile Smith (Northgate Environmental Management), Diana Macias (Twitter), Bianca Liederer (Genentech) and Sandra Chen (Facebook) met with government representatives, women in the workforce, youth leaders, entrepreneurs and government-sponsored incubators throughout the country.
Rekha, a longtime TechWomen mentor, previously traveled to Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore as part of the U.S. Speakers Program, sponsored by the Bureau of International Information Programs. Following the success of her earlier trip, Rekha was invited back and assembled a team of mentors, nearly all of whom have participated in past TechWomen delegation trips, to join the “Women in Tech Delegation.” The group participated as judges and mentors at the National Science Challenge, a premier science competition that included 2,400 teams from over 50,000 students throughout Malaysia. They also visited Penang Science Cluster and met entrepreneurs at MaGIC, Malaysia’s government-sponsored global innovation and incubation center.
Report Date...: 8/13/2018
Fellows speak at first annual Women in Engineering Summit
Fellow(s): Noura Ghali, Dalel Mansour, Meriam Chaabani, Ines Nasri
Country: Tunisia
Cohort: 2014, 2015
Policy Area(s): Professional Growth
Four TechWomen fellows of Tunisia were invited to speak at the IEEE Women in Engineering International Leadership Summit held in Tunis. The summit marked the first annual gathering of IEEE Women in Engineering members and offered programming designed to promote information sharing, networking and skill building.
2014 fellow Noura Ghali Berzouga and 2015 fellows Dalel Mansour and Meriem Chaabani participated in a panel titled “TechWomen: Advancing Women’s Leadership in North Africa,” where they spoke about their TechWomen experience and about WoLTech, the non-profit initiative founded by 12 TechWomen alumnae to empower Tunisian women in STEM.
2015 fellow Ines Nasri, founder of Web Power Tunisie, was a featured speaker, addressing augmented reality, virtual reality and major technologies that are impacting the future of global employment.
Read More »Report Date...: 8/13/2018
Fellow awarded grants for recycled furniture initiative
Fellow(s): Olamide (Mide) Ayeni
Country: Nigeria
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth
Fellow Mide Ayeni (2017) of Nigeria was recently awarded two grants to further her work: a Ford Foundation grant and a U.S. Department of State federal assistance award. Mide is the founder of Pearl Recycling, a social enterprise that transforms raw and recycled materials such as tires, bottles and plastics into furniture and art.
Mide’s Ford Foundation grant will be used to train 100 young women in Lagos in furniture making. With her award from the U.S. government, she will equip 20 Nigerian public schools with 400 ergonomic classroom chairs made from recycled materials and will train 800 students on waste reuse in Lagos.
Through her trainings, Mide hopes to reduce unemployment, re-purpose waste and reinvigorate the local economy.
Read More »Report Date...: 8/6/2018
