#ComingTogether During COVID-19 Feature: Shivali Gulati
Shivali Gulati is the Founder & Executive Director of Girl Genius, a nonprofit that aims to create an inclusive community for women and non-binary people of color in STEM by giving them a voice to empower the next generation of leaders.
With the spread of COVID-19 however, Girl Genius pivoted and rose to the challenge of supporting communities and frontline workers. Shivali forged a partnership with an international group of hobbyist and 3D printer owners, Makers For COVID-19, which supports medical and frontline workers with crucial Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). To date, Makers for COVID-19 has made over 20,000 PPE items for 30+ hospitals each week.
Recognizing the inaccessibility of PPE for NYC front line workers, Shivali and her Girl Genius directors took the initiative to amplify the work of Makers for COVID-19 and began fundraising through sticker sales. 100% of the proceeds went to supporting mask production efforts of Makers Within 10 days, Girl Genius raised $102 with 109 sticker sales.
In addition to its storytelling platform, Girl Genius also provides free virtual workshops and panels on how to start your own organization, networking from home, applying to college, and getting remote internships in high school.
Shivali and the Girl Genius team are determined to foster a community of confident leaders through their platform and programming. They are joining forces with other nationally-acclaimed nonprofits, such as The Violet Society, WiTech, Let Her Learn, AI.Hacks, and TechTogether, to further their impact.
We can’t wait to see what Shivali and Girl Genius team will accomplish on behalf of women and non-binary individuals in tech!
This story was written by Crystal M. Cooper, Sr. GHC Program Manager at AnitaB.org. Connect with her on Linkedin.
