Impact Stories from Professional Growth Policy Area
Fellows invited to iftar by Queen Rania
Fellow(s): Hiba Shabrouq, Ala’a Agha Karss, Nour Altobasi, Dhelal Mubarak and Afnan Ali
Country: Jordan
Cohort: 2011, 2017
Policy Area(s): Professional Growth
2017 fellows of Jordan Hiba Shabrouq, Ala’a Agha Karss, Nour Altobasi and Dhelal Mubarak, as well as 2011 fellow Afnan Ali, attended iftar at Basman Palace upon invitation from Queen Rania. At iftar, the Queen said, “I invited people who inspired me the most: those who are thinking of Jordan, those who are having impact on the society and on me personally. Always know that we have your back and we support all your work.” The fellows thanked Queen Rania for her continuous support of their efforts to improve the lives of Jordanians.
The Queen of Jordan was first introduced to the 2017 fellows after the announcement that Team Jordan was among the 2017 TechWomen seed grant winners. Upon learning of their win, Queen Rania met with the team to discuss their plans to use the seed grant to launch Ozwah, an initiative that aims to provide training, workshops and resources to female orphans in order to help them attend university.
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
Mentor(s): Mercedes Soria
Company: Knightscope
Policy Area(s): Professional Growth
Mentor Mercedes Soria was recently featured in Diversity in Action’s cover story for its May/June issue. Mercedes is the Vice President of Software Engineering at Knightscope and is involved in advancing the company’s artificial intelligence initiatives. The cover story specifically focuses on her work with autonomous physical security machines that share data with law enforcement officials in order to prevent crime. For example, if deployed in a school, such a robot could inform police of the location of an active shooter before weapons have been fired. These machines are already being used at LaGuardia Airport in New York and at shopping centers and corporate campuses.
Mercedes also discusses her experience as a woman in tech and her mission to inspire more women to enter the industry. Before joining Knightscope, Mercedes worked at Deloitte where she founded a Hispanic network resource group and mentored many female colleagues. She says, “the main problem that I see for women is they don’t see somebody who looks like them in a leadership role [and think] ‘OK, I can be that person.’ My goal is to push for diversity and to push for women.”
Report Date...: 5/21/2018
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
Mentor(s): Teresa Williams, Romy Chakraborty and Reshma Singh
Company: Berkeley Lab
Mentor Type: Professional
Policy Area(s): Professional Growth
Mentor Teresa Williams gave a presentation to her colleagues at Berkeley Lab about the TechWomen program, highlighting the importance of people-to-people diplomacy and the role a mentor plays in enriching mentees’ professional and personal lives, as well as sharing her experience as part of the 2018 TechWomen delegation to Egypt. Following the presentation, Jillian Scott, TechWomen Lead at IIE, and mentors Romy Chakraborty and Reshma Singh joined Teresa to speak on a panel about the program’s long-lasting impact both in the U.S. and in the fellows’ home countries. Romy mentioned that fellow Omolara Aladesanmi, who she mentored in 2015, will be returning to the Bay Area to join her research team as a post-doctoral scholar.
The mentors also emphasized the reciprocal nature of the mentor-mentee relationship and the value in learning from each other. Romy noted, “I was humbled, mostly, by how much they’re doing with [fewer resources]. …And I felt if I could contribute even a little bit, they could [advance] way ahead in their lives.”
Report Date...: 5/14/2018
Fellow promoted to department head
Fellow(s): Ijeoma Vincent-Akpu
Country: Nigeria
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Professional Growth
Ijeoma Vincent-Akpu, 2017 fellow of Nigeria, was promoted to Head of the Animal and Environmental Biology Department at the University of Port Harcourt. Other than having leadership roles on committees and associations, this is her first official administrative position that is recognized by the university. When sharing news of her promotion, Ijeoma said, “I’m grateful [that the] Techwomen program that made me realize that I need to come out from my shell, use my strength[s] and improve on my weakness[es]. Since I came back, I have seen a great difference in me and it has prepared me to function in this leadership position.”
During the program, Ijeoma worked with Maile Smith, Principal Geologist at Northgate Environmental Management. Ijeoma researches the Niger Delta basin and the health risks of frequent crude oil spills on the people of Bodo, Nigeria.
Report Date...: 5/14/2018
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
Mentor(s): Saura Naim
Company: Juniper Networks
Mentor Type: Professional
Policy Area(s): Professional Growth
Mentor Saura Naim, Senior Director of Enterprise Business Operations and Transformation at Juniper Networks, has authored an article for Women Working to share her tips for success. Saura details her experience serving as a TechWomen mentor, describing how the program created an opportunity for incredible cross-cultural collaboration. Both personally and in the workplace, Saura believes that when diverse voices are put in conversation, trust can grow and barriers can be broken.
Saura also discusses the importance of pausing to reflect, particularly when one is stressed. If an issue arises with a colleague, Saura recommends directness and honesty as well as in-person meetings to avoid misunderstandings. In her view, forging personal connections and focusing on people’s similarities instead of their differences is a powerful tool for success.
Report Date...: 5/7/2018
Team Jordan makes progress on action plan project
Fellow(s): Hiba Shabrouq, Ala’a Agha Karss, Aseel Almusa, Nour Altobasi and Dhelal Shorman
Country: Jordan
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
Team Jordan, one of five teams to win a $3,000 seed grant during the 2017 program for their action plan project, has taken exciting steps to reach their goal. The team members – Hiba Shabrouq, Ala’a Agha Karss, Aseel Almusa, Nour Altobasi and Dhelal Shorman – are the creators of Ozwah, an initiative that will provide training, workshops and resources to female orphans in Jordan in order to help them attend university. Lack of funding and resources represent major obstacles to pursuing higher education, and this project aims to make studying in university more accessible to female orphans.
Team Jordan has completed their program design phase, including determination of selection criteria for mentors and trainers. The group has also met with potential sponsor companies such as Orange, Zain and the Alchemist Lab and is exploring partnerships with organizations that have experience working with children, particularly orphans, including the Princess Taghrid Institute. The Ozwah team is preparing to publicly launch social media accounts for Ozwah, as well as www.ozwah.com, in the near future.
Report Date...: 5/7/2018
Fellow meets with Prime Minisrer of Lebanon
Fellow(s): Maya Itani
Country: Lebanon
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Professional Growth
Maya Itani, 2017 fellow of Lebanon, was invited to meet with Prime Minister Saad Hariri to discuss innovation in education, STEM education, innovative education projects and her TechWomen experience, including her professional mentorship at NASA Ames Research Center. The meeting was scheduled after Maya contacted the prime minister to speak about TechWomen’s mission and discuss ideas for potential projects. Maya reports that during their meeting, Mr. Hariri showed great interest in hearing about her TechWomen journey and discussing ways to feature and empower the TechWomen network in Lebanon. For Maya, this meeting was her opportunity to take “a first step toward being a direct influential TechWomen fellow” and achieve her goal to advance innovation in Lebanon’s education sector. With the prime minister’s support, she is currently working on a project that will leverage the knowledge, experience and networks she gained during the TechWomen program for impact in Lebanon.
Report Date...: 4/30/2018
