You thought this would be serious, didn’t you? Well, it kinda is… 

So, my name is Tinaye Lydia Muzenyi. I hold a civil engineering degree and I’m an educator and advocate for girls and women in STEM. While I come from a somewhat privileged background, I know what it’s like to grow up with limited representation especially for girls who yearn to dream big.

I grew up in Zimbabwe and Botswana and also spent time in South Africa which showed me that the African philosophy of Ubuntu, “Munhu munhu navanhu” (“A person is a person among and only because of other people”) transcends borders, languages and cultures. No matter where I was, I saw how communities came together to raise a child, support each other and share whatever they could to help others move forward. This belief that we rise by helping each other grow is something I carry with me every day. 

When I was younger, I had never met or even heard of a female engineer which is very ironic given my own father is an engineer. I just knew I loved mathematics and science but I could not picture where that could take me because there was no one around me who looked like me doing it. One day, when I found myself stuck with the enormous task of choosing a career, I did a simple Google search. That search opened up a world I didn’t know existed. It showed me paths I could take and stories of women I could become. It was such a small thing but it changed everything for me. I realise how lucky I was to even have access to the internet and the freedom to explore it. So many girls never get that chance and it is for this reason that I believe so deeply in representation; because you cannot be what you cannot see.

When I finished school and started working in engineering and eventually research, I never forgot that sense of community. At first, I used my social media just for fun; posting bits of my life, studies and random things I loved. Over time, I realised that my story was actually helping other young women see what was possible. I decided to start being intentional about what I shared, opening up about my path, my challenges and my wins. It was at this point that I noticed more and more women reaching out, saying they felt inspired or asking if I could mentor them. Seeing the impact just sharing could have made me realise that the same spirit of Ubuntu could exist online and beyond. 

That is how the She STEMs Foundation was born. Merely, out of a belief that one story can become many and one helping hand can create a sisterhood. It is my way of turning that spark into something bigger, a community where we open doors, share opportunities and remind every girl that she never has to walk her STEM journey alone.

My hope is that this foundation keeps growing into something that proves when one girl dares to dream, we can all help her build it.