Impact Stories from Professional Growth Policy Area
Mentor(s): N/A
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth
After laying the groundwork for both mentorship and action planning in week two, week three of TechWomen was all about diving deeper: Emerging Leaders took action to fulfill their mentorship goals and objectives, worked together to create impactful projects and learned alongside their Professional Interest Groups. Where Action Plan Workshop 1 set the stage for defining an issue and optimizing teamwork and collaboration, week three’s Action Plan 2 moved Emerging Leaders into designing a solution, creating a clear social impact statement and carving a more defined path forward. After sharing out their progress with the wider cohort, Emerging Leaders and Impact Coaches spent the remainder of the session in speed mentoring, where Impact Coaches visited other teams’ breakout rooms for 20-minute feedback sessions. Emerging Leaders also continued to engage in their professional mentorships in week three, working alongside their mentors to fulfill their professional goals. Fatma Telib of Egypt, an entrepreneur who is working with mentors at GoDaddy, has gained exposure to best practices and new networks: “I’ve met with people from all nationalities and cultures, working in harmony. I feel inclusion, and I feel belonging. That’s what I love,” she said. Leonida Soi of Kenya, a computer science teacher, is being mentored by Kathy Giori of ZEDEDA who has shown Leonida how to use MicroBlocks to introduce kids to coding and hardware components. Together, they have begun working with one of MicroBlocks’ program developers to translate it into Swahili.
Report Date...: 3/14/2022
Fellow featured in radio interview for Women’s History Month
Fellow(s): Imane Nassif
Country: Morocco
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth
2018 fellow Imane Nassif was a guest on ELLES, an interview series from the Parity and Diversity Committee of the 2M media channel. Imane, the buyer for emerging markets at Ford Middle East and Africa, joined the program to speak about her upbringing, career trajectory and work at Ford. During the conversation, Imane spoke about her commitment to volunteering and the importance of both being mentored and mentoring others: “I believe that it is difficult for young women to consider careers or professional paths without having seen or known a female model before,” she said. “It opens up new possibilities, and sometimes even allows them to set goals that they thought were unreachable before.” Imane shared highlights from her TechWomen mentorship at Lyft, where she was exposed to new automotive technologies and inspired to support other women in her industry. After she returned home, Imane began mentoring Rahma Tizzane, a young engineer in the automotive industry: “My experience had inspired her, so we worked together on her application,” Imane said. “I am extremely happy that she was selected for this year’s cohort. She is currently in San Francisco living her own experience!”
Read More »Report Date...: 3/14/2022
fellow shares passion for uplifting women and girls, In interview fellow shares passion for uplifting women and girls
Fellow(s): Joy Makumbe
Country: Zimbabwe
Cohort: 2015
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
2015 fellow Joy Makumbe was featured in Harare-based newspaper The Sunday Mail, interviewed about her passion for engineering and her commitment to bringing more women and girls into the field. Joy, a civil and water engineer and project manager, recently published Tech Girl Diaries, a book that chronicles her personal and professional journey in STEM. Through a series of essays, Joy shares lessons and practical advice on how parents, communities and workplaces can support girls and women on their STEM journeys and work together towards addressing the gender imbalance in STEM fields.
In the interview, Joy spoke about her hope for women and girls: “My vision to see more women in Africa take up positions of impact and influence in the engineering and science fields led me to start the Joy Makumbe Trust…a trust dedicated to empowering women with entrepreneurial skills and career guidance.” She also spoke about her role as secretary for the Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities, sharing her projects that will house Zimbabweans in need.
Report Date...: 3/14/2022
Mentor(s): ELs begin mentorship and action planning in week two
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth
After an active week of cultural exchange and professional development workshops, Emerging Leaders were eager to explore all the Bay Area has to offer alongside Cultural Mentors, their cultural ambassadors to the Bay Area. Whether it was a visit to the Academy of Sciences, a tour of Tesla, attending panels with industry leaders at a Bloomberg event or sightseeing around the Painted Ladies, Emerging Leaders and mentors learned about Bay Area culture, and one another, before a busy week ahead. Week two kicked-off with the first meeting of Professional Interest Groups, small groups of Emerging Leaders with common professional interests that are guided by mentors. Through the groups — themed on a variety of fields such as digital media, edtech, green tech, engineering, biotech and health sciences, AI and machine learning and more — Emerging Leaders and their mentors will share learnings from their professional mentorship experience, exchange resources and engage in conversations relevant to their fields of interest. Emerging Leaders also began learning alongside their Professional Mentors, beginning to work on their goals and learning objectives. The week concluded at Action Plan Workshop 1, where Emerging Leaders came together as country teams to lay the groundwork for their social impact projects. With facilitation from Susie Kelleher of YSC Consulting, country teams began to think strategically about their action plan, a project that will address a socioeconomic issue in their home country. By the end of the day, many country teams had laid the groundwork for their project’s mission and goals and had learned more about team strengths, collaboration and how to maximize their impact.
Report Date...: 3/7/2022
In TEDx talk fellow speaks about African innovation
Fellow(s): Sharon Telewa
Country: Kenya
Cohort: 2018
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
2018 fellow Sharon Telewa was a speaker at TEDxKassel, presenting on the “rise and rise” of technology in the African ecosystem. The TEDx event was themed on “New Realities,” exploring the interplay between society and technology. Sharon, an innovation and business development manager, is currently based in Germany. She began her talk speaking about her education, culture and family, using her own story to dispel common stereotypes of Africa and the African people. She then explored her roles at Safaricom, Andela and Kenya Flying Labs, using her career experience to communicate the ways in which the innovation and technology ecosystem in Africa can be better supported: by strengthening education systems, supporting digital transformation in rural areas and investing in African startups. Sharon also introduced Jedimu Elimu Trust, the initiative she founded that supports local schools with STEM resources, builds digital literacy through training and offers economic empowerment opportunities. “I believe that I can make a difference for my home village and for surrounding villages,” Sharon said. “We’re a small organization with big dreams.”
Read More »Report Date...: 3/7/2022
Fellow interviewed in celebration of Girls in ICT Day
Fellow(s): Salma Bekkouche
Country: Algeria
Cohort: 2018
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth
2018 fellow Salma Bekkouche was interviewed for the Girls and Women Talking Tech series, speaking about her career in ICT and her commitment to connecting people to opportunity. The talk was hosted by EQUALS Global Partnership, a global network of professionals working to address the gender gap in technology. The series highlights women in ICT in celebration of April’s Girls in ICT Day. Salma, a recruiter and content creator, was interviewed by Kusuma Kumar, a student at Middlebury College. In the interview, Salma spoke about her studies in computer science and her passion for the field: “When you learn computer science you learn how to think,” Salma said. “You learn how to use logic to develop new solutions to different problems.” Salma also talked about her passion for connecting with people and matching them to new opportunities: “My job is more than just a title, it’s a mission,” she said. The interview concluded with Salma sharing how women can support other women: “We can support them through mentoring. Mentoring is a powerful tool for learning. Women and girls need to see and connect with role models,” she said.
Read More »Report Date...: 3/7/2022
Mentor(s):
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth
After spending their first weekend in the Bay Area, Emerging Leaders were hosted by Autodesk on Monday for a virtual Impact Design Workshop. There, they were brought through an introduction to design thinking by Autodesk’s JoAnna Cook: “As you’re innovating, you can always correct,” JoAnna reminded them. “We don’t get it right the first time in all cases. What you can do is not lose your passion to follow up and listen.” After learning about the cornerstones of the design thinking process – intentionally identifying a problem, starting with the end user, iterating on ideas and maximizing collaboration and alignment – Emerging Leaders were led through a stakeholder mapping exercise, drawing out all stakeholders at their workplaces or businesses. In breakout rooms led by Autodesk facilitators, Emerging Leaders applied the method of abstraction laddering to the underrepresentation of women in STEM, discussing together how to reframe problems to create solutions. Week one concluded at the Leadership Workshop with two sessions on advancing women leaders and understanding individual and team strengths. Shannon Bayer of Linkage led the morning session, presenting on Advancing Women in Leadership. “Now more than ever, women are a part of the solution,” she said. “We need to look at how we can influence the change that considers us in the structure moving forward.” Samantha Raniere, TechWomen Impact Coach and principal at Raniere Consulting, led the afternoon session on leveraging individual and team strengths. “We can acquire any skill. Nothing holds us back from doing that,” she said.
Report Date...: 2/28/2022
Fellow discusses Black women entrepreneurs at Embassy event
Fellow(s): Michelle Sesay
Country: Sierra Leone
Cohort: 2013
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth
2013 fellow Michelle Sesay served as a panelist at a U.S. Embassy Freetown film screening themed on Black History Month and the upcoming International Women’s Day. The event, a screening of the documentary “She Did That” at Fourah Bay College, featured a discussion on Black women entrepreneurs with women alumni and entrepreneurs of U.S. exchange programs. Michelle is a civil engineer, entrepreneur and YALI fellow. In her panel, attended by aspiring entrepreneurs and university students, Michelle and fellow U.S. exchange program alumni talked about impostor syndrome, lack of funding for female-owned startups and the need for more women in leadership to acknowledge and celebrate their successes. The group also discussed similarities and differences among women entrepreneurs in the U.S. and Sierra Leone, speaking about the need to support Black-owned businesses. “We spoke about superwoman syndrome, where we take it upon ourselves to do everything and not delegate roles to our staff,” said Michelle. “Women generally don’t give themselves credit or acknowledge how far they have come.”
Report Date...: 2/28/2022
Fellow speaks about work-life balance for mothers at live event
Fellow(s): Dalia Shurrab
Country: Palestinian Territories
Cohort: 2018
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth
2018 fellow Dalia Shurrab was featured in a Startups without Borders online event, speaking about how to balance motherhood and entrepreneurship. Dalia is the project manager of Mompreneur, a 2020 AEIF-winning project that supports mothers from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank with training, workshops and starting their own online businesses. At the Instagram Live event, Dalia spoke about challenges that women in MENA face juggling start-up life and family life and offered solutions to women who are seeking better work-life balance. “Moms should find and create a support system and never feel shy or ashamed to ask for help,” said Dalia. “She does a great job as a mom and she should put herself on top of her priority list to give herself some time to meditate, self-heal and to take care of her mental health.” Dalia also shared freelance platforms and ways to find jobs online, offering tools and tips for women entering or re-entering the workforce.
Read More »Report Date...: 2/28/2022
Mentor(s):
Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Entrepreneurship, Professional Growth
108 Emerging Leaders from 20 countries arrived in the U.S. for TechWomen 2022, embarking on five weeks of professional development, mentorship and exchange. In the spring 2022 hybrid program, Emerging Leaders will be guided and supported by nearly 300 Professional Mentors, Cultural Mentors and Impact Coaches and will be learning together in interactive professional development workshops and Professional Interest Groups. After Wednesday’s arrival day, Emerging Leaders gathered online as a group for the first time at the Welcome Orientation, where they learned about essential program information, additional details on their mentorship and other important logistics about the spring program. At Friday’s Cultural Kickoff, Emerging Leaders had the opportunity to share their country’s cultures and engage in cross-cultural dialogue and exchange with their fellow Emerging Leaders and the TechWomen mentor community. The event was presented in an online world café format, where each country group shared about their country and cultures in a fun and creative way during four breakout room sessions. The event also featured five presentations: a language lesson from Cameroon, a traditional dance lesson from Kyrgyzstan, a cooking lesson from Lebanon, a sing-along from Morocco and a lesson in tribe totems from Zimbabwe.
Report Date...: 2/21/2022
