23/12/2023
I Leaped from Failure to Taking Initiative in 2023
The curtain was closing on 2022, and a new chapter in my life was beginning. I enrolled in the African Leadership X Software Engineering programme with no prior coding experience because I wanted to do hard things. How absurd did this sound?
I took up the challenge to push the boundaries of technology and become a software engineer so that I could use my creativity to advance artificial intelligence while empowering the underprivileged young women in my community.
Surprisingly, in the early hours of 2023, I hit a snag during the program's probationary period and failed to meet the 80% requirement. I thus lost out on this wonderful opportunity and had my hopes of becoming a developer dashed
With a sour face, I rested on the "Initiative" C.H.A.I.R. value of African Leadership X and thought comforting thoughts. With tearful eyes, I observed the young girls in my neighbourhood to whom I have denied access to tech skills and resolved to undo the damage by pushing them into STEM education.
STEM students made up 57.6% of KNUST students in 2021, compared to 42.4% of non-STEM students. The proportion of male and female STEM students was 62.91% and 37.09%, respectively. – Professor Rita Akosua Dickson, KNUST vice chancellor.
This is a grave concern for all and thus needs addressing. So, I conceived the 💡iDea, "The TechKative Girl Project", which sought to bridge the less representation of females in STEM programs by telling their stories. Together with a team of 4, myself and three vibrant young female volunteers made great strides in this campaign by connecting 25 passionate young females in Ghana to pursue the ALX Software Engineering program (Cohort 12 and 13).
Throughout our journey, we were able to empower 70%, 67%, 57%, and 50% of non-STEM young females to create accounts on LinkedIn, Intranet, GitHub, and Slack, respectively, to successfully enrol in the 12-month Software Engineering programme.
Some of our struggles were that only 27% and 57% of them had access to dependable computers and internet connectivity. Nevertheless, a couple of them—Rehanatu Issahaku and Maryam Abdur-Razzaaq, for example—were able to use their phones to code and complete assignments on the program's Intranet. Amazing TechKative Girls.👏 Their programme obligations were severely impacted, though.
Ultimately, only Asare Ruth was able to complete the program's probationary period and continued pursuing her goal of becoming a developer. This made her the 2023 Face of TechKative Girl, and she is excited to fulfil her tech ambitions as well as empower non-STEM young women in underprivileged Ghanaian communities with tech skills.
Now that we've reversed the trend, let's keep encouraging young women in our community who are in non-STEM fields into STEM careers.
This is the story of my Leap from Failure to Taking Initiative in 2023. Let's connect now to complete the undone work.
✍️ Aboubakr Muhammadu Sungsong, 2023