2015-May-12

Girls Power Tech Around the World

Students in fourteen cities in Europe and the Middle East experienced the power of Cisco Telepresence.

"I saw great opportunities in the Internet of Everything. Now I have an idea of the work I want to do in the future," said 16-year old student Kristina Krachmarova during a Girls Power Tech event at the Cisco office in Sofia, Bulgaria.

In Nairobi, Kenya, high-school student Ruth Ndinda said, "We learnt a lot, especially about telepresence. I didn't know that one could connect and communicate with so many people from different parts of the world at the same time. I am amazed at what technology can do."

Kristina and Ruth were among the 3,300 young female students around the world who participated in events at 91 locations in 56 countries. Thrilled to take part in a global effort to inspire girls and women to pursue studies and careers in technology, 1,462 of our employees signed up to volunteer.

"My parents didn't want me to have a career in IT," said a student in Delhi, India. "But when I tell them about the women who addressed us, I'm sure they will change their mind."

IoE challenge: In RTP students were presented with a real-world problem, and they worked in teams to develop an IoE solution.

"Many girls don't have the self-confidence they need," said a student in New York City. "It's important to know and believe in yourself that you can achieve great things."

To ignite these moments of discovery, our employee volunteers talked to the girls about technical careers, and provided one-on-one mentoring. Our volunteers helped the girls, ages 13-18, see what technology makes possible and see themselves in technical roles in the future.

"Now I know what I can do after studying IT," said a student in Sri Lanka.

At the Cisco office in Toronto, Canada, students experienced the power of Cisco technology to connect the world. During a telepresence session, they learned a few sentences in the Inuktitut language from girls in a Northern Arctic region of Canada.

For our employee volunteers around the world, this was an exciting opportunity to empower and encourage the next generation of innovators, the dreamers and doers who will invent the future.

"This day really changed how I look at the IT world," said a student in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, "I'm really happy and one day I hope to work at Cisco."

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In Beijing, one of the students remarked, "It was an eye-opening experience, and Cisco is a great company." Another student said, "The ladies in Cisco are full of passion, setting excellent examples for us. I hope I can be like them in the future."