Each 8th of March, Worldwide Girls’s Day (IWD) is well known. This celebration serves as a robust reminder of the strides we’ve made towards gender equality and the work nonetheless forward. This 12 months, below the theme #AccelerateAction, we have a good time the ladies who’re driving change, breaking obstacles, and fostering inclusivity.
At Microsoft Study Pupil Ambassadors (MLSA) and the Girls and Gender Minorities in Tech (WGMIT) Neighborhood, we consider within the energy of recognition and illustration. In honor of Worldwide Girls’s Day 2025, we’re recognizing distinctive individuals who have made a tangible impression—whether or not by mentoring others, main initiatives, advocating for variety, or constructing revolutionary options that empower underrepresented teams in addition to male allies who assist ladies within the Microsoft Study Pupil Ambassadors (MLSA) neighborhood, Microsoft Most Precious Professionals (MVPs), and Program and Operations administration group.
Why This Issues: Girls stay underrepresented within the tech trade, comprising 25% of tech jobs worldwide. Rising illustration not solely fosters innovation but additionally ensures numerous views in problem-solving. Recognizing the contributions of girls in STEM helps to encourage the subsequent era of leaders and create a extra inclusive digital future.
The Position of Male Allies: Male allies play a vital position in driving fairness and inclusion within the tech trade. Their energetic assist—via mentorship, sponsorship, advocacy, and coverage adjustments—helps break down obstacles for girls.
Honorees had been nominated by Microsoft Study Pupil Ambassadors in recognition of their excellent contributions and impression. Members of the Girls and Gender Minorities in Tech (WGMIT) management group reviewed every nomination, evaluating nominees based mostly on key standards, together with impression, advocacy, and management.
Every honoree has made a outstanding distinction, and we’re honored to share their tales, amplify their voices, and encourage the subsequent era of changemakers.
Let’s meet the honorees!
Sayanti Chowdhury
YouTube | Medium | GitHub | MLSA Profile
Sayanti Chowdhury is a rising pressure within the tech neighborhood, making waves via her contributions to safety analysis, AI, and cloud computing.
Impression: As a Microsoft Safety Researcher (MSRC), she has actively enhanced Microsoft’s safety requirements. She can be a devoted tech blogger and content material creator, sharing her experience on AI, cloud, and improvement matters via medium articles and YouTube movies. As a passionate advocate for girls in tech, she constructed a Fb neighborhood devoted to supporting ladies in STEM and has helped over 15 college students, particularly ladies, safe free Microsoft certification vouchers to advance their careers. Having earned a number of Microsoft certifications and led impactful tech tasks, Sayanti is a real position mannequin within the MLSA neighborhood.
Philippa Burgess
LinkedIn | MLSA Profile
Philippa Burgess is a Gold MLSA Ambassador identified for her dedication to mentoring and empowering ladies in tech.
Impression: Philippa has created a number of workshops and neighborhood tasks that assist college students, particularly ladies, develop within the MLSA program. By her efforts, a number of neighborhood members have reached the gold MLSA milestone. She has additionally contributed considerably to Cybersecurity and AI, publishing insightful articles and main collaborative tasks every quarter. Her management was instrumental in her group’s victory within the MLSA AI Tasks, the place she offered steering on AI ideas. Philippa continues to uplift ladies in tech by making certain they’re well-represented in all her tasks and by serving as an inspiration to different ladies in tech.
Abeer Moazzam
LinkedIn | MLSA Profile
Abeer Moazzam is an influential chief within the tech neighborhood, making an enduring impression via her roles as a Microsoft Study Pupil Ambassador (MLSA), Nationwide Coordinator for Hult Prize UAE, and Campus Director at her college.
Impression: Over the previous three years, Abeer has led quite a few workshops and mentorship packages, empowering college students worldwide. She is a passionate advocate for girls in tech, having mentored and supported many aspiring ladies in tech. By her management, she actively creates alternatives and ensures inclusivity in tech areas. Her initiatives have considerably contributed to gender variety and offered hands-on studying experiences to numerous college students.
Kritika Subedi
MLSA Profile | LinkedIn
Kritika Subedi is a passionate Microsoft Study Pupil Ambassador who has made vital contributions to tech schooling and neighborhood constructing.
Impression: Kritika has carried out a number of periods on Microsoft Azure, AI, and cloud computing, serving to college students acquire sensible abilities. She has additionally organized Hour of Code (HOC) periods for ladies in colleges, introducing younger feminine college students to programming and galvanizing them to pursue careers in know-how. As the primary MLSA from her all-girls campus, she has actively labored to shut the gender hole in tech.
Hamna Khalil
LinkedIn | MLSA Profile
Hamna Khalil is an influential MLSA in Pakistan, acknowledged for her contributions to tech schooling and community-building. She is considered one of the energetic feminine MLSAs in Pakistan
Impression: Hamna’s articles have twice been acknowledged because the most-read articles of their respective months. She has spoken twice on the Microsoft Reactor YouTube channel. She based TECHTALK, a neighborhood devoted to empowering feminine college students in her college by fostering their private {and professional} progress. By TECHTALK, she has mentored ladies and led initiatives that encourage extra ladies to pursue careers in know-how.
Diana Michelle Barrantes Gallardo
LinkedIn | MLSA Profile
Diana Michelle is a passionate advocate for girls in STEM, working to bridge the gender hole in tech.
Impression: She has organized hackathons, workshops, and conferences, creating inclusive studying areas. By her TikTok and LinkedIn communities, she shares insights on AI, cybersecurity, and programming, inspiring extra ladies to enter these fields. Diana has additionally contributed to analysis and mentoring tasks, offering certification assist and profession steering. Her efforts proceed to form a extra inclusive and numerous tech trade.
Rachel Irabor
LinkedIn | Twitter | MVP Profile
Rachel Irabor is a Microsoft MVP, Developer Relations (DevRel), and International Public Speaker, famend for her contributions to the Microsoft 365 and Energy Platform communities.
Impression: Rachel has actively engaged with the tech neighborhood via varied channels, together with her YouTube channel, which has garnered over 50,000 views. By her podcast, “Lady in Love with Tech,” Rachel mentors aspiring college students, significantly ladies, fostering variety and inclusion within the area. Rachel’s unwavering dedication to know-how evangelism and neighborhood improvement continues to encourage and empower people worldwide.
Sarah Williams
LinkedIn
Sarah Williams serves because the Lead Operations Supervisor for the Microsoft Study Pupil Ambassadors (MLSA) program, exemplifying management, grace, and respect.
Impression: She approaches challenges with a peaceful, strategic mindset, making certain swift and efficient resolutions. Her clear and considerate communication fosters belief and confidence amongst colleagues, making her a useful asset to the group. Past her technical experience, Sarah’s supportive management model evokes these round her to carry out at their finest. She units a excessive customary for excellence and stays a gentle, guiding presence within the face of any problem.
As a supervisor, Sarah excels at fostering a wholesome work-life steadiness for all group members, with a specific deal with supporting ladies. She understands the distinctive challenges that working ladies face and actively promotes an surroundings the place private well-being {and professional} success go hand in hand. Sarah leads by instance as a working mom, demonstrating that it’s potential to thrive in a demanding profession whereas additionally prioritizing household.
Eury Rivera Vasquez
LinkedIn
Eury Rivera Vasquez is an achieved Operations Supervisor overseeing a number of initiatives, together with AI tasks and Gold scholar assist within the MLSA program. Her capability to offer clear, environment friendly steering ensures clean day by day operations and strengthens the general expertise for ambassadors.
Eury performs a pivotal position in fostering inclusivity inside MLSA, significantly for girls in tech. She has supported a whole lot of Gold Ambassadors worldwide, making certain they obtain the advocacy and mentorship wanted for achievement. By AI-focused tasks, she actively promotes equitable alternatives for girls, inspiring the subsequent era of girls. Her management, professionalism, and unwavering dedication make her a trusted and valued member of the MLSA group.
The Girls and Gender Minorities in Tech (WGMIT) Leads—Olivia Oputa, Dija Vijay, Valentina Lazaro, and Eleanora Matalanga—have pushed impactful initiatives at MLSA. For Worldwide Girls’s Day 2024, the group hosted two international occasions in English and Spanish, participating 60+ ladies and that includes Microsoft MVPs and MLSA CPMs. The OpenTechInclusion program fostered open-source contributions, awarding high contributors for his or her efforts. By the Azure AI Boot Camp, the leads offered hands-on coaching and distributed certification vouchers, empowering college students with AI abilities. Their efforts proceed to advertise variety and inclusion in tech, making certain ladies entry sources, mentorship, and progress alternatives in tech
Socials: Olivia | Diya | Eleanora | Valentina
Zaynul Abedin Miah
LinkedIn | MLSA Profile | YouTube
Zaynul Abedin Miah serves for example of true allyship in tech, actively dismantling obstacles that restrict ladies’s participation. As a Microsoft Study Gold Pupil Ambassador and chief in Azure Tech Group Bangladesh and Material Person Neighborhood Bangladesh, he has reworked alternatives for girls in tech via daring, inclusive actions.
Impression: Zaynul assisted not less than 15 ladies to earn their first certifications, by prioritizing ladies whereas distributing Azure certification vouchers. His dedication extends to occasion planning—reserving 50% of examine group seats for girls and making certain workshops accommodate cultural constraints by scheduling them throughout sunlight hours. His management at Kubernetes Neighborhood Day Chattogram led to an unprecedented 62.5% feminine speaker illustration, and he personally mentored first-time feminine audio system. Zaynul doesn’t simply advocate for inclusion—he takes deliberate, culture-sensitive actions that create actual change.
The Microsoft Study Pupil Ambassadors (MLSA) program is a world initiative that empowers college students to develop technical and management abilities whereas participating with native and international tech communities.
The Girls and Gender Minorities in Tech (WGMIT) Neighborhood at MLSA is devoted to fostering inclusivity, mentorship, and assist for underrepresented teams in tech. By occasions, mentorship, and advocacy, WGMIT creates alternatives for progress and management within the trade.
The Microsoft Most Precious Professionals (MVP) program acknowledges know-how consultants who actively share their information and contribute to the broader tech neighborhood.
🏆 Methods to Get Concerned
- Have fun and Join: Comply with and interact with the honorees on their social platforms. Share their tales and amplify their work.
- Be part of the Motion: Grow to be an advocate for inclusivity in tech by mentoring, sponsoring, or creating alternatives for underrepresented teams.
- Be A part of MLSA and WGMIT: Take part in our packages, mentorship initiatives, and tech communities to foster progress and empowerment.
This Worldwide Girls’s Day 2025 let’s decide to #AccelerateAction—not simply as we speak, however day by day. Let’s have a good time and uplift these making a distinction within the tech trade.
We’re grateful to our neighborhood for nominating and recognizing these excellent people. Maintain the dialog going by sharing your personal tales utilizing #MLSAIWD2025 and let’s proceed to construct an inclusive tech ecosystem collectively.