WE ARE IMPACTFULL, INSPIRATIONAL, INFLUENTIAL

Founder Simona Șandru speaks about GWIT and its ambitions

Simona Șandru, GWIT Founder and Chairman talks about setting up an organisation to support women in a country known for its IT prowess. Does this prowess also include supporting more women to join the ranks of STEM specialists? Simona believes that more could be done. Having started her own career in STEM 11 years ago with little technical knowledge, Simona struggled to learn all that was needed. Thinking back, she mentions “looking for mentors, role models, programs, a community to support me on my way, inspired by the ‘mentorship culture’ and initiatives fostered in other countries”.

When asked about what could drive more women to consider STEM, Simona Șandru has one word: mentorship. She believes that Romania has a lot of valuable women leaders in STEM that everyone could learn from, but they are not known enough within the country and there’s limited access to learning from them. This is one of the things GWIT aims to change.

In 2018, the organisation will roll out different programs in partnership with external NGO’s and think tanks. Mrs. Șandru is working on GWIT’s first conference and “growing the community of women in STEM”.

Currently, GWIT works with the following partners, says Simona Șandru:

“The European Center of Women in Technology (ECWT), one of most powerful organizations dedicated to supporting women in tech, has applauded our initiative from the very beginning, thus we have become the national point of contact for them. The Silicon Valley Forum, one of the most solid and valuable organizations in Silicon Valley, has agreed to join us in developing the entrepreneurial skills of women in STEM and in connecting them with the Silicon Valley ecosystem. Together with the New York Science Academy, one of the oldest and most significant scientific organizations in the United States, we’re going to build international research programs that will bring value to women researchers.”

Mrs. Șadru’s vision of the GWIT work aims to include partnerships with universities, the private sector and even the Romanian government. Mrs. Șandru said: “Our programs are designed for students and professionals, meant to reduce the education drop-off rate of women in STEM, to provide them with the necessary skills to start a career in the field, to support their professional upheaval through mentorship and networking, as well as to enable them kick off their own organization and connect internationally.”

When asked where she sees her brainchild in 3 years, Simona Șandru is clear: “I am confident we’ll become an organization of reference for women in STEM in Romania and not only. This is to be reached through a strong and stable collaboration with government, organizations and companies.”