Turning Dreams into Reality

Guest Post by Fabiola Addamo

“Bonjour, my name is Fabiola, a Techwomen mentor and a Yahoo!” – this is how I have been introducing myself during the latest Techwomen visits at local Moroccan universities, schools and various women entrepreneurial associations. I have been Fabiola since birth, and a Yahoo! employee by choice for the last 4 yrs. In 2011 a persistent inner voice lead me to become a Techwomen mentor.

The last week has been an amazing experience because I have been surrounded by
women who are professionally competent, confident and incredibly inspiring.
Taghrid, Mimi and myself lead a panel discussion at ENSA (National School of
Applied Science) about Tech Careers for Women just a few days ago. I learned
that sharing a personal career view on cultural uniqueness, opportunities and
integrity can be quite powerful. Sharing career experiences (failures, successes and challenges) is an inspiration to others because unlocks what I call ” the eye of a dreamer “.

I dream all the time and I dream so much that I even learned to paint my dreams, all of my career and life dreams. I usually ask coworkers – “do you have a dream”? You must first create a thought (your dream), then share it (vocalize it) and finally execute it. And this is probably a romantic view of life, but it works for me. In 2001 I came to the U.S. and from a girl who served pastries and cappuccinos for a living I made myself into a
sharp business woman and a proud American citizen. Dreams take you far in your career because you follow one truth, that is the fire of your inner passion (unbeatable). In my opinion, Techwomen is a program that unlocks opportunities to technical women who have the “eye of a dreamer” . In the last 5 days I have attended visits to the Association of Mouassat, met the AFEM women, hugged orphans and girls in boarding schools, shaken hands with a mayor, a politician, and the only message I heard in unison from the eyes of the Moroccan women is  “I dream of a better future”.

Aside from these poetic interpretations of the Techwomen program, I have to say
that mentoring is a real rewarding experience because you give and receive
knowledge. The formula is simple: Mentees are technically savvy and mentors are
eager to share their tips from years of experience (win-win).

I am seeing a lot of beautiful female minds in the MENA countries and I am
hoping Techwomen program will be able to keep touching quite a few of them.
Thank you Techwomen program for touching my mind, I will never give up my
dreams!