PWiC Hosts TechWomen from Pakistan
On Sunday March 20th, Pakistani Women in Computing hosted an exclusive invite-only networking lunch for the TechWomen 2022 Cohort from Pakistan.
TechWomen is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). Women from 21 countries program countries in Africa, Central and South Asia, and the Middle East are selected to participate in STEM based mentoring programs in Silicon Valley. The program identifies emerging women leaders in STEM fields and provides access to the networks, resources, and knowledge that will empower participants to reach their full potential.
Pakistani Women in Computing (PWiC) is a global community of women in technology fields and their allies hailing from Pakistan to empower, celebrate, mentor, and create opportunities for the community.
This year, 7 women from Pakistan were selected to be part of the TechWomen program and are being hosted in Silicon Valley. The PWiC team connected with the cohort and identified possible mentors for them within the PWiC community. We hosted them for lunch and networking in Foster City, CA.
We kicked off the event with round-table introductions of PWiC and the TechWomen program, and then each attendee introduced themselves to the group. We then broke off into smaller groups for focused discussions, networking and lunch.
We also had a guest speaker, Raheel Bodla SuccessCoach join us virtually for the introductions, and to welcome the group to Silicon Valley.
The TechWomen consisted of ladies running their own technology based businesses, to senior product architects, to software managers and product designers. It was amazing to connect with these accomplished, driven and smart females who are making a name for themselves as well as for Pakistan.
We connected the visiting cohort with our network of Silicon Valley based professional women for advice, mentoring, and professional connections. The discussions were lively and enthusiastic with potential collaborations identified for the future.
PWiC would also like to thank the newly appointed Silicon Valley team for arranging this lunch for the Pakistani TechWomen!
As a bonus activity, the group also participated in a Holi festival that was taking place nearby. The TechWomen especially enjoyed the exposure to the different cultural events and communities in the bay area. We had a lot of fun playing with colors and ending the event on a festive note.
Thank you for reading!
About the Author
Novaira Masood is the President of PWiC, and currently a Software Engineering Manager at Apple. She has over 18 years of industry experience in computer graphics and computer vision. She is also passionate about empowering and growing women for leadership roles.
