I firmly believe in one saying: “Generation Z doesn’t wait for the future. They build the future.”
Hi everyone! My name is Rida Yumn Ahmed and I'm from India. I am currently a high school senior and a Youth Advocate for Sustainable Development Goals and a STEMinist. My life completely changed when I chose the path of STEM to create a positive impact as I wanted to be a changemaker since my childhood. My dream turned into a reality when I became a Young Member of The New York Academy of Sciences. It is one of the oldest scientific societies in the United States.I was also bestowed with Distinguished Student Award'19 and attended Global Stem Summit in New York on a fully sponsored basis.I am also the Academy Ambassador from the past two years.
I was selected into three of their STEM programs.
1)1000 Girls, 1000 Futures which is a groundbreaking initiative designed to engage young women interested in STEM and advance their pursuit of STEM careers through mentoring and 21st-century skills development. I was mentored under Ms.Nicole Bjorklund(Assistant Director, Scientific Affairs at Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation,New York City)
Through the program 1000 Girls, 1000 Futures - I felt really encouraged to promote STEM to other girls! Being a STEMinist, I believe that more girls should be part of STEM to close the gender pay gap, and that equality and representation are very important in this field as well.
2)The second was UTC STEM U Program.
I was paired with my mentor Mr.Adebiyi Mabadeje, who was appointed the
Honourable Commissioner, Ministry of Science & Technology, Lagos State.
3)I'm also the part of The Junior Academy which is an elite group of problem solvers made up of talented students, STEM experts, and companies around the world dedicated to designing innovative solutions to global challenges. Amplifying the power of teens,I am also the brand ambassador of FamPay which is a design focused company, a Y-Combinator and WeWork Labs backed Indian company building the future of banking and finance for children in India. My passion for serving the society was amplified through Interact Club under Rotary International.I was appointed as Zonal Interact Representative and even got bestowed with Best ZIR award for Interact District 3012.
If you don't find me brainstorming, I will be working for a cause and collaborating with people across the globe.I've done endless collaborative projects across the globe on different Sustainable Development Goals and STEM and I'm also an ambassador for various organizations. I also work with Meddling Kids Movement as a Gender Equity activist.I work in promoting advocacy for girls and young people, and share great insights from the programs to help others. My experience with Project Exchange throws light on that. It is an alternative digital “study abroad” experience training students on International Relations, Sustainable Development Goals and Community Journalism. I'm a Country Representative for the organization. I also organized a virtual field trip of India with Learn around the world,a US based organization to promote culture.
I organize donation drives, visits to orphanages, and community drives that spreads awareness on various issues. I recently hosted different events for school children where international eminent guests spoke on culture, COVID 19 situation and positive psychology.
I am passionate about doing something different and discovering the potential of youth changemakers and how we can positively impact the world. I conduct interactions and workshops on challenges girls face and ways to empower us. The aim of my workshops is to empower youth and help them develop a voice and leadership skills. Throughout the workshops, we discuss the challenges of being a girl in STEAM, gender inequality in our respective countries and the measures being taken by the people and governments to improve this, the roles men can play in ensuring gender equality in society, and how we can support each other by growing together as a community.
I have always wanted to serve society and make an impact and eventually, my zeal for that enabled me to discover new opportunities and made me a youth advocate for different causes including adult literacy, awareness of STEM education and the gender pay gap. I do mentoring over Skype interactions, meet-ups, workshops and field trips. I am privileged to have a great work life, bonding across the globe, and working to make this accessible for others as what we are discussing and brainstorming at a global level is diverse due to everyone coming from totally different backgrounds. I organized global video campaigns for adult literacy and also a global video support campaign for doctors in Spain to support them in the time of Coronavirus crisis which got a lot of love across the globe.
We need to work harder to encourage girls to pursue STEM in higher education as well as encouraging them to work in the field! Comments like “girls do not have a scientific temperament" should be avoided because they are harmful and definitely not true! If a girl is facing any issues, she should be encouraged to overcome the hurdles and should not be discouraged because of her gender. Society needs to start realizing that STEM is not just a laboratory or a research center. We need to make STEM education a part of our daily life and identify the component which matches with our day-to-day activities.
I received an invitation from a Girl Up Club in Albania to conduct a productive workshop on challenges girls face and ways to empower them. I realized that serving humanity is not just philanthropy or humanitarianism. It’s also working to develop ourselves in STEM and non-STEM areas and being aware of sustainable development goals, which by working for them, one can do their bit for the development of society. The role of community is very essential. Its support encourages me to work further in the areas I am passionate about such as gender equity, climate change, discrimination, and adult education etc.
Recently, I was also working towards creating awareness on the peaceful use of nuclear technology. The mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency is to promote awareness in nuclear tech in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region, which is under the International Atomic Energy agency within the United Nations. My writings have been featured in the UNICEF online community, Voices of Youth and different credible platforms .
I really advocate for equality and representation of all the groups. There should not be any bias against anybody's caste, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or color.
Connect with me to collaborate,get empowered,or to be showered with positive vibes.
Instagram- @rida.yumn.ahmed