It Was More Than a Dream: WiSci 2017 Guest Post

This is a guest post from the 2017 WiSci Girls STEAM Camp which took place in Malawi, Africa. WiSci is a public-private partnership effort between Girl Up, the U.S. Department of State, Intel, Google, NASA, and other partners.

By: Tikambenji Keira Phiri, 17, Zambia

From the time I got my email that I was accepted for the WiSci Camp 2017, I couldn’t wait to travel to Malawi. I had dreamt to be on a plane one day and that day came and the opportunity was more than just getting on a plane.  It was more than I expected it to be.
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When I arrived in the capital of my country, Lusaka, I spent a night in the best hotel in my country. I literally felt like time was not moving as I was so excited about arriving at the WiSci camp. When I arrived, I was very happy to finally meet my cohort and talk about where I come from. It was awesome to hear different languages from my friends, especially my roommate from Tanzania. The most exciting things so far at camp have been the different classes and the culture night. Intel conducted my favourite class, where I really benefited a lot. I was surprised by what we were learning, like creating a robot, piano, wind vane, and the heart rate monitor. I asked questions and the staff was great at clarifying them. The fact that a female was facilitating the class motivated me. If she can work in such a field, so can I. I have since decided that when I complete high school I will study computer science. I also would like to be an advocate of girls rights and start a Girl Up club to motivate other girls who think they cannot do STEAM related studies.