#twcameroon week two: networking in a virtual era and design thinking with students

It’s #twcameroon week two! The week began with Branding and Networking in a Virtual Era, an event that brought together mentors, fellows and university students in STEM fields to talk about creating meaningful and lasting networks in a virtual world.

The event was spearheaded by fellows Angele Messa (2019), Crescence Elodie (2019), Mpara Faith (2017) and Horore Bebga (2018), and featured mentor delegates who presented on cultural intelligence, managing a global workforce, building a personal brand and leveraging LinkedIn to build out your network. In her keynote that opened the day, mentor Katy Dickinson stressed the importance of following up with a new connection: “Most people want to learn,” she said. “When you contact us, we can learn from you.”

In her lightning talk, Maryann Hrichak spoke about the importance of cultural intelligence — the ability to function effectively in different cultural contexts — and the four aptitudes required for cultural intelligence: drive/motivation, knowledge, strategy and action. Mentor Janice Campbell presented on going global with your brand, speaking about managing your online presence — your brand — by enhancing privacy, being ready to listen and learn and always putting your truest self forward. “Be your authentic self. Don’t try to be someone else when you are online — be who you are,” Janice said.

Mentor Sandra Chen gave the attendees tools on effectively managing a global workforce through optimizing tools, recording sessions, networking externally and making time for team bonding and cohesion. The final talk, delivered by mentor Sandhya Pappu of LinkedIn, empowered students to leverage LinkedIn as they enter the workforce, sharing tips on how to stand out to recruiters, how to develop their profiles and strategies on engaging their networks.

The session concluded with Meet a Mentor, where delegates and attendees split into small groups to explore the session’s themes and share additional strategies for developing your network and building a professional online presence. As the event concluded, mentors, fellows and attendees dropped their LinkedIn profiles in the Zoom chat, laying the groundwork for starting new meaningful connections of their own.

Design Thinking and Physical Computing with students in Douala and Yaounde

The week’s second event gave delegates the opportunity to meet over 100 young girls in Cameroon who came to the classroom to learn about design thinking and physical computing, exploring the power of tangible computing and constructionism through making. Led by Janet Fofang (2013) and Gisele Beatrice Sonfack (2016), students from multiple schools in both Douala and Yaounde joined the virtual session, ready to learn.

Mentor Dr. Jeannice Fairrier Samani opened the day, sharing with students some of the pioneers and innovators — both past and present — who have created groundbreaking technology and set the stage for the world we live in today. From Sarah Goode, the first African American woman to file a patent, to Marian Croak, an inventor and VP of Engineering at Google, Dr. Samani shared role models who have broken barriers and made history. Dr. Samani then took students through the basics of design thinking, including defining the problem, looking at resources and ideating. Then, it was time for a design activity! Students in Douala and Yaounde were tasked with using what they learned about design thinking to solve a pressing issue in their communities.

During and after the activity, the students came up to the camera to ask the mentors questions about the design thinking process. “What do you do if you’re afraid of what people think of your solution?” asked one student. Mentor Katy Dickinson assured the student that her ideas are valuable, and mentor Mimi Hills added, “Don’t be afraid of failure, because this is an iterative process. You can change it. There’s no such thing as failure.” The students then had an opportunity to share their ideas with mentors, which included a robot that brings solar energy to villages, trash pickup solutions and ideas on how to bring peace to their communities.

Physical Computing

Next up was an introduction to physical computing, led by mentors Katy Dickinson and Maryann Hrichak. The mentors introduced the basic principles of physical computing through Jacquard looms, early devices that were attached to looms that aided textile manufacturing. The students then had a chance to apply what they learned through an activity using Scratch, a free programming language for young students who are learning to code. With Scratch, students can learn the basics of programming, practice thinking creatively and work together collaboratively. After the activity, the students asked questions to the mentors and fellows, like how to engage their communities, how to bring products to market and how to publish a book on mathematics and physics. “Start small,” said mentor Janice Campbell to the student who hopes to write a book. “Write a blog, share it on social media, share it with your community.”

The group closed out the day sharing out what they learned: “When I came here I learned how to create a game, I learned about design thinking, and I also learned about people and the things they invented,” said one student.

Next up is Monday’s Girls in STEM event, where young girls will meet successful women in STEM — our fellows and mentors — who will introduce them to diverse local and global opportunities in STEM fields!

The 2021 virtual delegation to Cameroon is a month of fellow-led activities that engage youth, university students, women leaders and more in STEM. Stay tuned here for more updates, and be sure to follow along on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. #twcameroon

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