SemegaChange concludes its summer long mentorship program

SemegaChange concluded its first ever Nigeria Virtual STEM Mentorship Program, on Thursday, August 29. The Mentorship Program, in collaboration with STEM in Africa and “Dreams from the Slums,” provided virtual education sessions for schoolgirls in Lagos, Nigeria to work with mentors across varying college campuses such as Harvard, New York University and Syracuse.

The summer-long Mentorship Program exposed underserved schoolgirls in Nigeria to the various careers in STEM such as specialized areas in public health, data science and biology. Lessons that were taught to the students varied from Public Health and Data Science to Women’s Health in Medicine.

The Program consisted of 17 mentors and 20 mentees from schools in Lagos, Nigeria that worked with one another virtually to encourage fulfilling and impactful discourse. Abibatou Marenah, a senior majoring in Biology at NYU said that serving as a mentor with the Program allowed her to connect better with the students.

“The mentorship program was an incredible experience, as I had the opportunity to mentor and teach aspiring STEM girls about conducting research, which was enlightening for both the mentees and mentors,” Marenah said. “My favorite part of the mentorship was getting to meet these girls, learning about their dreams and passions, and seeing how eager they were to learn.”

SemegaChange CEO Niouma Semega said the Program was unique and valuable to both the mentors and mentees.

“For the mentors, the program offered valuable experience in teaching and communicating complex topics to a younger audience, which was a first for many of them,” Semega said. “This experience helped them develop skills that will be useful in future roles, such as serving as a teaching assistant in graduate school or demonstrating leadership in their professional endeavors.”

SemegaChange hopes to partner with schools in cross-continental mentorship programs in the future. In December, SemegaChange will host their first Women’s Leadership Summit in Tanzania to promote professional development education to young schoolgirls in Dar es Salaam.

Semega said that mentorship programs such as these in different African countries are crucial to the inclusivity of women of color in STEM across generations.

“This experience allowed them to distinguish themselves in their future STEM pursuits, demonstrating their ability to create lesson plans, develop syllabi, mentor students, and inspire the next generation of young women in STEM,” Semega said.