When we see someone doing something great – something awe-inspiring and revolutionary – as young people we can’t help but think about what wonderful things we’ll achieve in the future. Someday. The catch is that you don’t have to wait until you’re “older” to change the world. Innovation surrounds us and it takes the heart and drive of one individual to create something.
Here’s a list of five stellar women under 30 who inspire us with their passion, creativity, and ideas changing the world for the better.
1. Shiza Shahid, 24
Shiza Shahid is a social entrepreneur, a thought-leader in business, philanthropy and innovation. She’s also the co-founder of the Malala Fund. A native of Pakistan, Shahid had the opportunity to study at Stanford University where she began finding fellow social entrepreneurs and her strong desire to create change.
Still following women’s issues and violence in Pakistan, Shahid learned about Malala Yousafzai and how the Taliban had forbidden girls to go to school in her town. Wanting to help, Shahid worked with Malala’s father to start a summer camp to take them out of their homes and teach them the importance of education. After Malala was shot by the Taliban, Shahid continued her relationship with the family in helping manage the media craze and global interest in Malala’s story, Shahid stepped into the role of founder of the Malala Fund as Malala wanted the organization to “be young and nimble and entrepreneurial and cross functional and innovative and insightful.”
2. Divya Nag, 24
Divya Nag is the founder of StartX Med and Stem Cell Theranostics. At the age of 20, Nag started Stem Cell Theranostics, a drug screening company that develops genetically-targeted therapies for heart failure.
She also realized that most of the cutting-edge technology used in academic institutions wasn’t being utilized due to a “lack of entrepreneurship education for scientists.” For Stanford scientists, Nag founded the first non-profit medical entrepreneurship program called StartX Med. Her work in the field of innovative science and experiential education proves the power of taking initiative and starting something when you find the space to do so.
3. Tammy Tibbetts, 29
Tammy Tibbetts is the founder and president of She’s the First, a non-profit organization that sponsors girls’ education in developing countries. The idea of a social media-driven campaign brought Tibbetts and co-founder, Christen Brandt, together in their pursuit to inspire other millennial women to help fundraise for girls’ education.
Since the movement began in 2009, She’s the First has sponsored over 1,200 years of girls’ education. Under Tibbetts’ leadership, the organization has gained large grant support and increased its revenues to continue supporting girls’ education in low-income countries.
4. Julie Sygiel, 27
Founder and Chief Creative Officer of high-tech lingerie line Dear Kate, Julie Sygiel utilized her chemical engineering background to create underwear specifically for “that time of month.” The business plan was created during a college course where her group wondered, “What if we could develop a new type of underwear that was engineered with stain-releasing fabrics and had a protective layer so women no longer had to stress about our periods?”
Dear Kate has had multiple advertising campaigns that showcase inspiring women in different industries, from the Ada campaign named after one of the world’s greatest mathematicians, Ada Lovelace, where the company took photos of high tech women posing in the brand underwear while coding.
5. Kathryn Minshew, 30
As the founder of The Muse, Kathryn Minshew lives by her Twitter motto: I get things done. She launched the career advice and job search site in 2011 with a small team of writers. Now it has millions monthly users. Minshew had previous experience as a management consultant at McKinsey & Co. and working with the Clinton Health Initiative on improving access to vaccines in Africa. Her talks and advice can be found across the internet, from the articles she writes for her own site to sharing her own mistakes with fellow startup entrepreneurs.
What other inspiring women do you know under 30? Sound off in the comments below!
Cover image courtesy of Career Girl Daily.
comments