A 16-member delegation of professionals from Silicon Valley, California would be in Nigeria from March 18 – 23 as part of the TechWomen program to carry out mentoring sessions in Lagos and Abuja for young women working in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
These senior women technology executives would be representing various organizations such as; Twitter, LinkedIn, Netflix, Mozilla, Autodesk, WomenCollegeTech, Stanford Graduate School of Business, Juniper Networks, as well as Fairrer Samani Group, Northgate Environmental Management, Jessica Dickinson Goodman Consulting, and the Institute of International Education.
Silicon Valley Women Tech Leaders Visit Nigeria for Week-Long Mentorship Program https://t.co/xYVwdK7aEO pic.twitter.com/chBK0eCclW
— AsuquoE (TMA) (@talkmediaafrica) March 20, 2018
According the statement by the U.S Consulate in Nigeria, members of the delegation include: Ms. Larissa Shapiro, Head of Mozilla’s Global Diversity and Inclusion Division and Twitter’s Senior Software Engineer, Ms. Elizabeth Deng, a computer science graduate of the University of Southern California who co-organized “Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program” for the micro-blogging website in 2017.
Others include; Dr. Leedjia Svec, Director WomenCollegeTech and former Director of Programs at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, Ms. Maile Smith, Principal Geologist/ Chief Operating Officer at Northgate Environmental Management, are all part of the travelling delegation.
We made it! Looking forward to a week of having fun, making new connections and creating #impact with our mentors and fellows during #TWnigeria.
— TechWomen (@TechWomen) March 20, 2018
What is the TechWomen Program?
The Techwomen program is an initiative of the U.S Department of State. Launched in 2011, TechWomen, through mentorship and exchange, helps to strengthen participants’ professional capacity, increases mutual understanding between key networks of professionals helps to empower, connect and impact the next generation of women leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
It involves participants from Africa, Central and South Asia, and the Middle East by providing them with the opportunity that is needed to advance their careers in the United States by providing professional mentorship at leading technology companies.
From our @Exploratorium in the Classroom workshop in Lagos: @larissashapiro of @mozillagram taught HTML using colorful puzzle blocks. 1/3 #TWNigeria #TechWomen pic.twitter.com/2lVuFMXLsF
— Jessica Dickinson Goodman 🏳️🌈 (@JessiDG) March 20, 2018
During the week-long program, the delegation will visit non-governmental organizations, private and public enterprises, universities, schools, tech incubators and innovation hubs to expand networks of women in STEM teaching and learning in Nigeria.
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