Country of origin
Botswana
Which company do you work for?
Dare To Dream is a social enterprise based at Botswana Innovation Hub Science and Technology Park dedicated to the advancement of youth women and girls in STEAME as well as Aviation and Aerospace. STEAME stands for Science Technology Engineering Art’s Mathematics and Entrepreneurship. We use the power of flight to ignite dreams celebrate the passion and inspire the next generation of business leaders who are innovators in science technology engineering and mathematics.
What is your specific area of specialisation?
Pilot
How long have you been in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) fields?
More than 10 years
As a woman in a male dominated industry, what has been the biggest challenge you have faced in your career, and how did you overcome it?
When I was growing up, I never had the opportunity to sit down with a pilot nor see the inside of a flying machine until I had the opportunity to fly it. After qualifying as one of the first female Military Pilots in Botswana Defence Force, I started Dare To Dream to inspire the next generation more especially the girls and young people who come from rural areas and underprivileged communities like myself that it is possible to achieve and set an example for others.
What inspired you to join this industry?
I knew I was born to FLY, l grew up in a small village called Ledumadumane next to Sir Seretse Khama International Airport, Gaborone. I used to see aeroplanes flying over my mother’s thatched roofed house, from an early young age I knew I was born to FLY.
What changes, if any, have you seen in your field with regards to women in your field?
Without doubt, much has been done, yet much more needs to be done, and more importantly to accelerate the girls and women in STEM agenda as well as Aviation and Aerospace.
How can we attract more women to consider a career in the STEM fields?
With the proliferation of technology and a rapidly growing global digital economy, it is imperative that deliberate policies are put in place to ensure all students in the region have equal opportunities to acquire STEAME-related competencies from early childhood through higher education. Let’s work towards shattering these long-standing barriers and ensure that girls and young women in both rural and urban communities across our Continent are empowered and inspired to explore future careers in existing and new frontiers of science, technology and innovation.
If you were to advise other young women starting their careers in the tech or within the STEM fields, what is the one thing you would say to them?
Be fearless in the pursuit of what’s sets your soul on fire, it’s not going to be easy, a lot of doors are going to be closed on your face but go other fearlessly with determination and make your dreams come alive.
When not working, what do you do for fun?
I run, sing, watch movies spend time with family at the rural villages.
