How the Godmother of Silicon Valley is Empowering Kids to Change the World
In a 2016 article entitled Top 10 grandmothers in fiction published in the Guardian, the author Jenny Downham lists her favourite fictional grandmothers highlighting why these women stood out in the eyes of their grandchildren. Unsurprisingly perhaps, none of these grandmothers were being heralded for building an EdTech startup.
Esther Wojcicki is an 80-year-old grandmother to 10 grandchildren, and, although she undoubtably has many of the characteristics depicted in Jenny Downham’s selection, one could argue that she has something a little different to the norm. Known as The Godmother of Silicon Valley, Esther Wojcicki or “Woj” is an internationally renowned educator, founder of the largest scholastic media program in the US, journalist and best-selling author. She is also the co-founder of Tract, the first for kids, by kids online community for student-directed learning which she launched only a year ago.
Born from the realization at the age of 10 that education should be at the centre of every person’s life, Esther’s primary focus is to help parents, teachers and managers be more effective at home, in the classroom, and in the corporate world. This resolve extends to her three daughters too who she raised to become three of the most successful women in Silicon Valley: Susan is the CEO of YouTube, Anne is the CEO and founder of 23andMe, and Janet a top medical researcher at UC San Francisco.
Trust, Respect, Independence, Collaboration and Kindness — subsequently coined as “TRICK” in her 2019 best-seller How to Raise Successful People — are Esther’s underpinning principles which sit at the heart of her own successful teaching and parenting. The numerous successes Esther has known in her mentorship programs are, she believes, the result of her TRICK approach which instils a sense of self-belief and freedom in young people, creating the necessary foundations that lead to great accomplishments.
“My goal is to empower kids by giving them choice and independence and empower teens to be leaders and influencers.” — Esther Wojcicki
With the recently launched Tract App, Esther and her co-founder and former student Ari Memar hope to scale her successful teaching method to reach and help empower young people globally. The app provides a platform for high school and college students to lead and inspire the next generation, while deepening their own learnings and strengthening 21st Century skills. With the support of a Creator Academy, students can earn revenue by delivering fun classes for younger children to discover new interests and think more creatively and independently. “My goal as you can tell,” explains Esther, “is to empower kids by giving them choice and independence and empower teens to be leaders and influencers.”, traits she believes are key to solving the world’s biggest challenges.
