In the following article, I
want to share my participation in 2017 Techwomen program and through my story,
I’ll tell you how contributing in such programs can impact your life.
1-What is Techwomen? Techwomen is a professional mentoring program sponsored by the US
Department of State. It brings women from 20 countries in Africa, Central and
South Asia and the Middle East to San Francisco, California, for an exchange
program. The goal is to empower emerging women leaders in science, technology,
engineering and mathematics (STEM) to reach their fullest potential, create
social impact initiatives and inspire other girls and women in their
communities.
2-How to get there? To be selected as Techwomen emerging leader, you have to apply using their
platform (available in Techwomen website). Applicants must be women
with at least two years of professional experience in STEM and, at minimum, a
bachelor’s degree. You will need to fill in a “long” survey in order to present
your personal and professional skills. If preselected, you will be invited for
an interview at the US embassy where they will know more about your
professional goals and motivations. Final results will announce “winning”
techwomen emerging leaders for the current application. For me, receiving the
confirmation email was just the start for a long adventure, let’s look back to
it together!
3-Techwomen program Overview: the program took place during 5 weeks (from September, 17th
to October 23rd). Except the last week spent in Washington DC, I spent all the
time in the Bay Area (San Francisco) for professional mentorship, personal
development and even cultural exchange:
4-Professional mentorship: I have been hosted in Synopsys, one of the most innovative Tech companies
in San Francisco. I have had the privilege to be followed by 06 mentors who
gave great efforts to make my short visit at Synopsys an unforgettable one. I
have met very experienced VPs and directors who generously shared their skills
and advices about project and team management, communication skills, work
process, etc. I have had exclusive access to Synopsys internal resources for
personal and professional development within the company (online training,
documentations, contacts, etc.). Besides what I learnt professionally, I have
spent unforgettable moments and given invaluable opportunities to meet and
speak with highly qualified peers working both in industrial and academic
fields.
5-Personal development: in addition to professional mentorship, techwomen team has organized
workshops for all emerging leaders, mainly for personal development in
leadership, entrepreneurship, team building and communication skills.
Participating in all these workshops was the best opportunity to polish some of
my skills and learn new ones. As workshops were held in most valuable tech
companies in Silicon Valley, I had a chance to visit their workplace and be
immersed inside a completely different and innovative work environment. Some of
the companies I have visited are: Symantec, Yahoo, Google, Microsoft,
Salesforce, LinkedIn, Nasa, Twitter, etc.
6-Cultural exchange: Techwomen is not only about STEM. During the program, I have had the
chance to participate in many cultural activities organized by cultural
mentors: volunteering day, culinary events, historical sites visits, etc.
Cultural events were great experiences for discovering life in the US,
contributing to help underserved local community, and meeting incredibly nice
people.
7-Techwomen 5 tips for 5
weeks: If you are preparing your Techwomen application,
you need to know the following:
1.
Be authentic: if you want to apply for techwomen (or even other exchange
programs) you have to make an effort and prepare your application by yourself.
Techwomen is looking for great but genuine applications. Be honest by
expressing your real skills and personal motivations.
2.
Brand yourself: you need to find the best way to promote your personal and
professional skills, and there is no better way than a storytelling. The judge
need to remember you. Telling a story will leave a great impact on their
emotions.
3.
Be a learner: Techwomen aims to empower you personally and professionally. No
matter your age or diploma degree, be ready to learn from all the people during
the program (speakers, mentors, emerging leaders, or even people you cross in
the street).
4.
Ask, ask, and ask: never hesitate to ask for help or guidance. Techwomen
alumnae can help you to better understand the program. Reach out with one or
some of them so you will have clearer idea. They will also help you on
preparing your trip or even connecting with US mentors once you’ll be selected
in the program.
5.
Be open-minded: it’s important to have a community-spirit. You need to be
prepared to live with people you don’t know, coming from different cultures,
religions and beliefs.
Looking back, I can confidently
say that the program expanded my horizons, both professionally and personally.
I gained invaluable skills working with mentors at most innovative tech
companies in San Francisco, while experiencing life in the U.S. and creating
lifelong friendships. I’m proud to be part of TechWomen’s global network of
leaders in STEM, and I invite you to cease this opportunity to apply (or share
it with prospective TechWomen).
I’m available to share more
about my TechWomen experience and help future applicants. Let me know if you
have any questions. Best of luck!
Fatima Zohra BENHAMIDA
Thank you dear sister, friend and mentor, you’re a model for Algerian Women
Wish you all the best
Good luck for algerian women applicants this year
