Tag Archives: Palestine

Touring the Capital with TechWomen – Day 1

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Yesterday, a group of between five and ten TechWomen Emerging Leaders from Africa and the Middle East and I toured Washington DC, seeing the Smithsonian (Air & Space, American History, and Natural History) and Washington Monument, and a very big dog.  We had dinner at the excellent Food Corner Kabob House (all halal!) with several other groups of TechWomen out and about. We then walked through a cold wind to the White House and Lincoln Memorial at night. It was inspiring to join in their enthusiasm for this remarkable place!

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Images Copyright 2014 by Katy Dickinson

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TechWomen in Washington DC

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My TechWomen Emerging Leaders Seham Al Jaafreh (Jordan) and Mai Temraz (Palestine) did a great job on their final presentations to the Everwise teams – live in San Francisco, and calling in from New York and Minneapolis, on Thursday. Yesterday, we traveled to the nation’s capital, and today we start our meetings and tours in Washington D.C.

During our short month together, Mai passed two amateur radio operators exam levels (the first Palestinian woman to do so!), Seham won a big funding award then remotely managed her Mutah Knowledge Station team in Jordan to complete the follow up requirements, and together we created seven videos in Arabic about mentoring for Everwise, to be posted on YouTube.  I am so proud of Mai and Seham!

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Images Copyright 2014 by Katy Dickinson

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Two TechWomen at Everwise!

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Today Everwise is pleased and honored to host an additional TechWomen Emerging Leader! Mai Temraz (of Palestine) has joined Seham Jaafreh (of Jordan) working at Everwise in San Francisco this month. CEO and Founder Mike Bergelson heard about Mai’s original mentor becoming very ill and immediately offered to host a second TechWomen mentoring program participant.  The women of Everwise have welcomed our two new ladies. Everwise is a small company with a big heart! Seham and Mai are getting settled and starting on their professional projects today.

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Images Copyright 2014 by Katy Dickinson

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TechWomen Opening Day 2014!

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Yesterday was the TechWomen 2014 opening event for participants from 16 countries in Africa and the Middle East (plus the USA!) – generously hosted by Juniper Networks again in Sunnyvale, California. During the next five weeks, I will be the Professional Mentor for Seham Jaafreh from Jordan – working together at Everwise In San Francisco. Lucy Keoni will also be working with Seham as her Cultural Mentor.

Assistant US Secretary of State Evan Ryan made the welcome announcement that the countries included in TechWomen 2015 will be extended to South Central Asia!

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Images Copyright 2014 by Katy Dickinson

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Opening Event for TechWomen 2014 Mentors

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I am proud and honored to once again be a TechWomen mentor. Today was the orientation session for the mentors (generously hosted by LinkedIn in Mountain View, California). We meet our Emerging Leaders on 6 October. I am very much looking forward to working with my new mentee from Jordan on a project at Everwise in San Francisco.  She and I have been speaking by Skype for the last few weeks – making plans.  Lucy Keoni will be her Cultural Mentor and I will be her Professional Mentor next month.  Since 2010, I have served with 250 outstanding women mentors from 89 Silicon Valley and San Francisco Bay Area companies in this remarkable and life-changing program.

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About TechWomen:

The mission of TechWomen is to empower, connect, and support the next generation of women leaders in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) by providing them access and opportunity to advance their careers, pursue their dreams, and become role models for women and girls in their communities.

During the five-week program, participants engage in project-based mentorships at leading companies in the San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley, participate in professional development workshops and networking events, and travel to Washington, D.C. for targeted meetings and special events to conclude the program.

Over the past three years, 156 women from Algeria, Cameroon, Egypt, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Nigeria, the Palestinian Territories, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tunisia, Yemen, and Zimbabwe have participated in TechWomen.

TechWomen is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). TechWomen, launched by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2011, supports the United States’ global commitment toward advancing the rights and participation of women and girls around the world by enabling them to reach their full potential in the tech industry.

TechWomen is managed by the Center for Women’s Leadership Initiatives (WLI) at the Institute of International Education (IIE).

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Images Copyright 2014 by Katy Dickinson

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TechWomen 2013 Orientation

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Today was the big orientation day for the 78 TechWomen mentees from 16 countries in Africa and the Middle East, and the 106 mentors from 160 Silicon Valley companies. TechWomen is an Initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs – for professional women working in STEM from Algeria, Cameroon, Egypt, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Nigeria, Palestine, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tunisia, Yemen, and Zimbabwe.

Juniper Networks hosted the event in their “Aspiration Dome” building in Sunnyvale, California. Larissa Shapiro (Mozilla) and I are mentoring Imen Rahal from Algeria during this month. Larissa and I are among about a dozen mentors enjoying our third year with TechWomen. Barbara Fittipaldi (CEO at the Center for New Futures) lead the group in discussions on how to develop and fulfill our visions. It was an inspiring day!

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Images Copyright 2013 by Katy Dickinson

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Mentoring Research Poster and SOL Panel at GHC13

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For the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing (“GHC-13″) this week, I look forward to presenting a poster (“Lifetime Value of Mentoring to Technical Women”) and also a Student Opportunity Lab (SOL) topic: “Empowering Technical Women Through Global Mentoring” (with  Trish Tierney of the Institute of International Education).  Since I was at the  People to People (P2P)  conference last weekend in Washington DC and am traveling to GHC in Minneapolis tomorrow, my husband John Plocher generously managed the printing of the big poster and the SOL panel handouts. While I was in Washington DC, our daughter Jessica Dickinson Goodman tweaked the poster graphics for better effect.  John posted the final versions on our website:

The “Empowering Technical Women Through Global Mentoring” material was developed in collaboration with four TechWomen co-presenters from the Middle East who regretfully are unable to attend GHC13 in person. Thanks to Sukaina Al-Nasrawi of Lebanon and Maysoun Ibrahim of Palestine (TechWomen Inaugural Class 2011), Adla Chatila of Lebanon and Heba Hosny of Egypt (TechWomen Class 2012) for their welcome support and valuable advice.  Thanks also to Trish, John, and Jessica! I am blessed to have so many talented people supporting this work!

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Images Copyright 2013 by Katy Dickinson

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