Update Groundbreaker Talents: Kick-off Mentorship Program and Boot Camp Phase
What happened in the last weeks of our Software Engineering scholarship program, Groundbreaker Talents?
It’s week 16 of the program and our talents just transitioned from the foundational software development training into the most hands-on phase, the boot camp. The boot camp will be even more practical, challenging our scholars to work on real company projects.
We are happy to announce that all of them have accomplished the intermediate test and are now allowed to continue with the program – what great news!
Thanks to our experienced and highly skilled mentors, we were able to fill the transition phase of the last 3 weeks with insightful input and virtual keynote presentations until our talents would have a busy schedule again.
A big drum roll and shout-out goes to our fabulous mentors and guest speakers:
🚀 Martin Heiland, CISO at Open-Xchange, elaborating on the topic of ‘Cybersecurity and Application Security.’
🚀 Josepha Haden Chomphosy, Executive Director of the WordPress project, diving into ‘Open Source and Her Way Into the Business and World of WordPress.’
🚀 Stefan Kremer and Jacinta Ndichu, Managing Partners at KeDe Digital LLP, on the topic of ‘Business Ethics: Working Remotely in an International Context; Soft Skills and How to Present Yourself.’
🚀 Tess Diaz, Expert in Enterprise Domain Name Management, sharing insights on ‘How to Speak Up for Yourself & Your Value While Still Getting Along With Others.’
🚀 Gabrielle Stenzel, Cloud Support Team Supervisor at Acronis, sharing her experiences ‘As a Woman of Color in IT: A Journey Through IT– the Struggles & Successes.’
🚀 Qudsia Mehmood, Software Engineer at Open-Xchange, on the topic of ‘Usability Methods to Evaluate User Experience.’
🚀 Maryam Alhuthayfi, Senior Android Development Specialist, elaborating on ‘Navigating the Path to Success in Android Development and Career Guidance and Job Placement.’
If you are interested in becoming part of the next batch in 2024 and supporting your own scholarships, drop us an email at team@groundbreaker.com!

Context:
Groundbreaker Talents is a full-time residential IT scholarship program for young women in Uganda. During an intensive one-year boot camp at an on-site residence in Kampala, the scholarship recipients from disadvantaged backgrounds are improving their skills in software engineering. The training is very practical and is based on the actual needs of the tech industry. The goal is to close the skills gap between sought-after professionals and a youth full of potential. Upon completion of the program, the women are supported in successfully gaining a foothold in the national and international IT market.