Motivo’s Post

🌍 United by resilience, motivation, and determination ⭐ It's only been one week of our #QuantumResearchForGirls Programme, and we are incredibly excited about what lies ahead in the coming weeks. Not just because of the experience we are providing to these young women who dream of a #quantum future, but also because we are getting to know our students in a closely-knit community to learn about their aspirations, goals, and hopes, aiming to help them turn these into reality step by step 🚀. This is what PhysicsBeyond stands for: going beyond the norm and acting on what is needed for each individual, providing an experience beyond the standard. But that's not all. We have engaged with our participants and gained an understanding of their backgrounds and what motivated them to apply for this opportunity. We acknowledge that the application process was no easy task; it was, in fact, the initial step into this challenging yet rewarding journey of adopting a researcher's mindset 🧠. The selection process was equally challenging for us, but we succeeded in assembling our first cohort, where all the students shared curiosity, passion and the willingness to challenge themselves. Despite the challenges our participants faced in applying, they succeeded and secured their places, showcasing their resilience to be part of IQRG 💪. For instance, one of our current students submitted her application amidst a coup d'état in her country. This also showcases the significance of communication when applying to opportunities; we may not be aware of all the obstacles that could hinder a student's application, yet she was resolute in her determination to apply and communicated her situation clearly. An extremely good example of determination and of the importance of communication 💬. As the programme progresses, we are pleased to confirm that our participants were selected wisely. Some students are managing their final exams in school while still making time to participate in the programme. Others are juggling work commitments with university 📚 and the programme, and some are scheduling 📅 their programme involvement around their cultural activities, once again demonstrating their determination. And let's talk about community. Our girls are part of a community where they can exchange ideas, receive feedback from professionals, and keep up on their learning journey alongside like-minded women 👥. We are amazed by how active and supportive they are towards one another, how they share thoughts, notes, and resources, and how they support each other through this stage of their lives. 🌍 Because regardless of the political conflicts in the world, regardless of the diverse cultural and religious backgrounds across the globe, and regardless of the economic circumstances impacting our planet, learning and education are accessible to everyone with resilience, motivation, and determination. Girls in quantum #PhysicsBeyond #Girlsinquantum #STEMEducation #QuantumEducation

What inspires you today? For me, it is reflecting on the 2024 Aspirations in Computing booklet from the Wisconsin Affiliate of NCWIT. This affiliate serves to recognize, encourage and support the potential of young women who aspire to work within the tech industry some day. Over the past 13 years, the Wisconsin affiliate has recognized 1012 young women with an award (including 38 also recognized at the national level). These aspiring technologists became a part of a national community where they learned from others who came before them and gained access to grants, scholarships, conferences, internships and more! Check it out the full booklet here: https://lnkd.in/eWV5nqha I was invited to serve on the Board of the Wisconsin Affiliate for 5 years during which time we expanded the scope of the booklet to recognize the districts that produce such amazing talent and the higher education institutions that support them as they continue to prepare for their future careers in tech. We also added a historical section so that our sponsors could see how their investment allowed us to increase our impact year over year. I continue to volunteer as an application reviewer to this day. This affiliate was launched and led by Joe Kmoch, an inspiring servant leader who continually is looking for ways to support students grow into the technologists he knows they can be. If you are in Wisconsin and want to get involved, please reach out to NCWIT.wi@gmail.com. I was so inspired by the continued progress of the Wisconsin affiliate that I decided to learn more about the Southwest Florida affiliate where I now reside. Unfortunately COVID and Hurricane Ian took a toll and there was no local presence to help it recover. Consequently, I have offered to volunteer as Interim Executive Director to ensure that these aspiring technologists are supported through their academic journey. I am excited to learn alongside the other NCWIT affiliate leaders in the months to come (especially Joe Kmoch from WI, Nimmi Arunachalam from Miami, and Zoë Levitt, MS from NCWIT HQ). If you are in Southwest Florida, let me know if you would like to help #girlsintech become #womenintech in #SWFL. More to come! Dr. Chrissann Ruehle, Christopher Westley, Huzefa Kagdi, Kristen Vanselow, Ashleigh Droz, Meagan Baskin, PHD, Leandro de Castro, Denise Spence, Whitney Rhyne, Kenise Jackson, SWFL Tech, Tech Alliance of SWFL, Aaron Thompson, John A., Michael Boose, Katie Moore, MBA, Kristen Rasmussen, MSN RN-C, Shannon Treece, Collaboratory, Dawn Belamarich, FutureMakers Coalition, Warren Baucom, Horizon Foundation Lee County , Edison Awards, Randy Mitchelson, APR, Guido Minaya, MBA, Ed.D., Dr. Tracey Lanham, Ph.D., Zarela Graves, Southwest Florida Affiliate of NCWIT #leadership #womenintech #talentpipeline

Calling all Champions of Change! Empowering Girls in STEAM with Rocking Ur Teens CIC Calling all our amazing network! This June, RBS is hosting Rocking Ur Teens CIC for an incredible Girls in STEAM Conference specifically designed to ignite the potential of 13 & 14-year-old girls! This isn't your average careers event. We're talking inspiration, hands-on workshops, and introducing these future leaders to incredible careers they might not have even considered. Here's why you NEED to spread the word: Spark a passion for STEAM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Maths are brimming with exciting opportunities, and we want to show these girls just how much they can achieve! Shatter the glass ceiling: It's time to rewrite the narrative. We'll be showcasing inspirational female leaders and career paths that will blow their minds.Through our speakers Akua Opong CITP MBCS FRSA Charlene Gravesande Seema Kukadia Alexandra Knight CEng FIMechE FWES Build confidence and aspirations: This conference is all about empowering young women to dream big and see themselves as the future leaders in STEAM. How YOU can be a Champion of Change: Spread the word! Share this post with your network, especially educators and anyone with connections to girls in this age group. The more, the merrier (and the more inspired)! Sponsor a future leader: We have a limited number of subsidised places available. If your company is passionate about supporting future generations in STEAM, consider sponsoring a student's attendance. Just drop us a message! Goody bag glory! We're putting together awesome swag bags for the attendees. If your company has any goodies that would inspire these future rockstars (think notebooks, tech accessories, etc.), we'd love to hear from you! Together, let's show these girls the incredible possibilities that await them in the world of STEAM! #GirlsinSTEAM #RockingUrTeens #RBS #FutureLeaders Shout out to my co founders Geoffrey O. W. and Sandy Parris P.S. For more info or to get involved, don't hesitate to reach out! We can't wait to make this conference a smash hit!

Many companies are now stepping up to offer scholarships, mentorship programs, and workshops, all geared towards empowering young girls to dive into the world of computer science and technology. Thanks to incredible educational initiatives, impactful awareness campaigns, and the support of nurturing communities, we've seen a fantastic uptick in the number of girls choosing to pursue computer science at the university level over the past few decades. But here's the thing: despite these encouraging strides, the representation of women in computer science and technology fields still isn't where it should be. 🤔 As a woman in Tech, I've had some eye-opening conversations with fellow professionals in software development and technology. I've noticed a curious trend: many of us tend to steer our daughters towards interests like music, dance, painting, and the arts in general. 🎨🎶 But here's a thought-provoking question: why aren't we, as #womenintech, making technology a primary focus in our daughters' lives from an early age? Let's spark those tech passions early and watch them soar! 💻✨

While we frequently celebrate Utah hitting the top of "Best of" lists - did you know it's among the 👉worst ranked👈 states in the US for women’s equality? One reason is missed opportunities in preparing female students for high-wage STEM careers. A new YouScience report, published in partnership with Cydni Tetro and her team at Women Tech Council, analyzed data from over 21K Utah female students. Findings show strong aptitudes for STEM careers, but a lack of exposure, representation, and resources. The report suggests solutions like aptitude-powered education and female-centered mentorship. This is a must-read for educators, the tech community and business leaders. 👇 Download the report https://lnkd.in/gHaqYCBA

This post from my alma mater Michigan Tech College of Engineering is worth reading.

To all my Technology friends, peers, and colleagues: Minnesota Aspirations in Computing needs both individuals and businesses to sign up by May 10th to help support the 2024 award honorees (https://lnkd.in/gfFrkRjb) through mentoring and job shadows. Denise Morelock did a great job highlighting these programs in her post. MentorMash: We have 30 amazing students looking for mentors who are technology professionals and identify as a women, genderqueer, or non-binary. These students are especially interested in topics such as #AI, #ML, #Coding and #CyberSecurity. While the hot technology topics are important, they also want advice on technology-focused career possibilities and tips for being successful in college. Please sign up to be mentor! https://lnkd.in/g6wpf3tp Job Shadows: This is an easy way for businesses to give some very talented students a glimpse at how technology is put into action, and to get them thinking about possibly working at your company! Sign up here to provide a 1/2 or full day job shadow experience: https://lnkd.in/gwxXEZp3 Minnesota Technology Association, #MnTechFoundation, #DiversityInTech #MnAiC

In the tech community, we often talk about how Utah is among the best performing states in the nation. What we miss in this conversation is: Utah is also among the worst ranked states in the US for women’s equality, according to findings from Utah Women & Leadership Project and A Bolder Way Forward (https://lnkd.in/gF7JXRV7). Why is that? Part of the reason is missed opportunities in how we prepare female students in Utah for high wage, in-demand STEM careers. A new report published by my team at YouScience, in partnership with Cydni Rogers Tetro, Kristin Wright and their team at Women Tech Council, looks at anonymized data from over 21K female students across Utah to compare aptitudes vs interests for top STEM careers. 🔍 The report found: female students have aptitudes for in-demand careers in STEM, but due to lack of exposure, representation, and resources, they are not pursuing these careers. The report offers solutions like aptitude-powered education and female-centered mentorship to bridge these gaps. This is a must-read for our tech community and business leaders. In order to ensure Utah is a strong tech community for everyone—including for women—we must improve the way we prepare our female students for careers of the future. 👉 Download and read the report here: https://bit.ly/3RZIxZd

In the tech community, we often talk about how Utah is among the best performing states in the nation. What we miss in this conversation is: Utah is also among the worst ranked states in the US for women’s equality. Why is that? Part of the reason is missed opportunities in how we prepare female students in Utah for high wage, in-demand STEM careers. A new report published by YouScience in partnership with Cydni Rogers Tetro and Women Tech Council, looks at anonymized data from over 21K female students across Utah to compare aptitudes vs interests for top STEM careers. The report found: female students have aptitudes for in-demand careers in STEM, but due to lack of exposure, representation, and resources, they are not pursuing these careers. The report offers solutions like aptitude-powered education and female-centered mentorship to bridge these gaps. The report is a must-read for our tech community and business leaders. In order to ensure Utah is a strong tech community for everyone—including for women—we must change the way we prepare our female students for careers of the future. 👉 Download and read the report here: https://lnkd.in/gfPVkMXQ

The first day of #ChronFest was engaging and evocative, with many smart, thoughtful, and straightforward panelists. If you did not get a chance to listen in, here are a few takeaways from my notes: ▫ Access and Equity: Diversity and inclusion don't begin and end with an acceptance letter and generous financial aid package. As we increase access, we are deepening the inequalities on campus. We must do more to decode higher education for our students, distribute high-impact opportunities equally, and celebrate skill sets developed through the real-world experiences and unpaid labor that underrepresented students learn outside campus walls. ▫ Student Outcomes vs. Market Expectations: Are the students and credentials our higher education system producing really matching the expectations of the larger world? ▫ Innovation: There was a time when the wealthiest and most elite institutions led innovation, but now our best and boldest ideas come from scrappier institutions. There was a suggestion that the elites have turned their backs on the rest of higher education as they've moved away from addressing broader educational challenges. ▫ Biodervisty to the College Ecosystem: It's time to shift our perspective. We've compared our colleges and universities on a vertical system for too long. The talks challenged us to redefine 'college' as education and post-secondary training and to recognize all colleges equally, without elitism. Each type and market provides a layer of biodiversity to our ecosystem of higher education. While access is indeed expanding, inequalities persist. However, by working together, innovating together, and recognizing the strength of a biodiverse system of higher education, we can significantly impact the future of post-secondary education. Each of us has a role to play in this collective effort. #highereducation #access #diversityequityandinclusion #studentsuccess #belonging #innovation