Saturday, March 8^th 2014 – International Women’s Day, Girls in ICT Rwanda celebrated the day by crowning our first ever Miss Geek Rwanda (you can follow the #MsGeekRw hashtag on twitter for more details).  Nancy Sibo, an Agriculture Engineering Student from the University of Rwanda was crowned Miss Geek Rwanda 2014.  She competed among 25 young women and won fair and square, based on the criteria set for the judges.  It was one of the most joyous moments of my life that will be etched in my heart forever.

The mission of Girls in ICT is one; inspire young girls to join the Science, Technology, Math and Engineering (STEM) field.  It’s no secret that there are few women in the field, be it in schools or the workforce – and there’s no question we want to increase that number here in Rwanda.  We want every young girl in Rwanda to hear about STEM and know it is an exciting career choice, and that if we can do it they too can.   You may wonder, what is this Miss Geek – why the title “Miss Geek?” Well, those of us in technology field are called geeks many a time because we are fanatics of technology and it consumes most of our time – so it is only appropriate.

We began planning the day around October 2013 and were supposed to have the event on December 17^th.  Circumstances didn’t allow, which was a pure blessing in disguise as it gave us more time to get more ideas and put our best event planning abilities, albeit amateur, to work.  Most of the girls came together for this initiative, we got some new members and they rose to the occasion to make our event a success.  From looking for sponsors, which was a daunting task as our pockets aren’t deep enough, to evaluating the ideas submitted, posting them, meetings many a Monday evening etc – needless to say, they made me a proud president.

One thing that stands out though is the times I spent with the 5 finalists.  An organization was supposed to train the girls, but at the last minute asked us to pay money that we definitely didn’t have – so that was that.  This was the ultimate blessing in disguise because as President of the Girl Geeks, I had to step up and train the girls for their big moment.  Our first encounter was a crash course of presenting/speaking up for them and for me one in patience as I discovered the black spots in our developing education system.  I was mortified that they’d never had public speaking training; had never spoken in public and class attendance carries more weight in our schools than quality participation.  With only one week to work with the girls, the pressure was on for all of us.

Recognizing that English didn’t come naturally for them, I had to train my mind to think more about content and delivery – this was the first lesson for me because it helped me focus on what bigger issues of confidence, articulation of their solution, proper pronunciation of key.  I provided a structure for the pitch:

1. Introduction: – Name, College and what year
2. Name of the solution
3. What is the problem you are trying to solve?
4. How does your solution solve it?

First day, they each presented their idea and I asked the group to give each other feedback on how they think each of them did.   We then worked through an example of the wireless black box, with me as the presenter – and asked questions that required them to think critically about the problem they are trying to solve and to have a visual for the solution.  I then gave them time to think through the new structure and present again.  We went through this at 3 times on the first day.  I left them in a room as I went to a meeting, thinking that they’d leave as well – but was pleasantly surprised to find them, 2 hours later walking out having spent all that time practicing.  Lesson number 2 – these are smart and hardworking girls that are also working very hard to do their best.  Second day, we were back at it this time I invited other techies, young men and women so that they could get more input.  Each time they went up to present, they were doing better and incorporating lessons learned.  On D-day we were all at Lemigo by noon, rehearsing pitch at the microphone, improving pitch and continuing to work on that presentation.  Alas the time had come.

Time came for them to present and the girls did a good job.  Seeing them up on stage sharing their ideas – answering questions in front of the public, cameras and flashes I could not help but tear up because I know this was a first for them and they’d worked hard on this.  The judging criteria were:

1. 1.      Presentation (Score out of 25):

Was the pitch given with clarity? Do you feel you understood what the presenter was trying to get across?

1. 2.      Problem Solving (Score out of 20):

Is there a clear need for the proposed technology? Is it solving a real world problem?

1. 3.      Technology (Score out of 10):

Is the product/technology original and disruptive? Is it a creative and unique use of the technology?

1. 4.      Marketability (Score out of 5):

Does the project have commercial value? Is it scalable and innovative?

If you were in the room, I am sure you agree that Nancy Sibo deserved that win.   There’s no question her future as well as that of the 5 deserving finalists, is BRIGHT if they continue in the path of innovation that can solves real issues.

All in All – Girls in ICT Rwanda was happy and thought the day was successful because:

1. We raised awareness of STEM
2. We showed that a competition of ideas is what Rwandans needed – especially young women
3. We highlighted the importance of mentorship and the results it can yield through the progress of our finalists
4. Through our Keynote speaker, the AWESOME Evelyn Namara – a fellow girl geek who has achieved a lot, showed the finalists and Rwandan girls at large that each of us are capable of achieving greatness with focus, hard work and self confidence
5. Everyone in the room was happy about the effort and our sponsors vowed to support us in our initiatives going forward – A BIG WIN for us as we can’t pull off such events without sponsorship.

Like the GREAT Steve Jobs said, “If you are working on something exciting that you really care about, you don’t have to be pushed.  The vision pulls you.”

Miss Geek Rwanda is undoubtedly a vision fulfilled and I look forward to many more.  It is my hope that the Girls in ICT remain committed and that we stay the course of inspiring young women to join STEM and that whatever blessings we get, we pay it forward…as the journey has only just begun…..