Recognizing Influence: Worldwide Ladies’s Day 2025 Honorees

Each 8^th of March, Worldwide Ladies’s Day (IWD) is widely known. This celebration serves as a robust reminder of the strides we’ve made towards gender equality and the work nonetheless forward. This yr, underneath the theme #AccelerateAction, we rejoice the ladies who’re driving change, breaking obstacles, and fostering inclusivity.

At Microsoft Study Pupil Ambassadors (MLSA) and the Ladies and Gender Minorities in Tech (WGMIT) Neighborhood, we imagine within the energy of recognition and illustration. In honor of Worldwide Ladies’s Day 2025, we’re recognizing distinctive individuals who have made a tangible affect—whether or not by mentoring others, main initiatives, advocating for variety, or constructing modern options that empower underrepresented teams in addition to male allies who help girls within the Microsoft Study Pupil Ambassadors (MLSA) group, Microsoft Most Worthwhile Professionals (MVPs), and Program and Operations administration staff. 

Why This Issues: Ladies stay underrepresented within the tech business, comprising 25% of tech jobs worldwide. Rising illustration not solely fosters innovation but in addition ensures various 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 business. Their energetic help—by way of mentorship, sponsorship, advocacy, and coverage adjustments—helps break down obstacles for ladies.

Honorees have been nominated by Microsoft Study Pupil Ambassadors in recognition of their excellent contributions and affect. Members of the Ladies and Gender Minorities in Tech (WGMIT) management staff reviewed every nomination, evaluating nominees based mostly on key standards, together with affect, 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 group, making waves by way of her contributions to safety analysis, AI, and cloud computing.

Influence: 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 growth matters by way of medium articles and YouTube movies. As a passionate advocate for ladies in tech, she constructed a Fb group devoted to supporting girls in STEM and has helped over 15 college students, particularly girls, 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 group.

Philippa Burgess
LinkedIn | MLSA Profile

Philippa Burgess is a Gold MLSA Ambassador identified for her dedication to mentoring and empowering girls in tech.

Influence: Philippa has created a number of workshops and group tasks that assist college students, particularly girls, develop within the MLSA program. By way of her efforts, a number of group 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 staff’s victory within the MLSA AI Initiatives, the place she supplied steerage on AI ideas. Philippa continues to uplift girls in tech by making certain they’re well-represented in all her tasks and by serving as an inspiration to different girls in tech.

Abeer Moazzam
LinkedIn | MLSA Profile

Abeer Moazzam is an influential chief within the tech group, making an enduring affect by way of her roles as a Microsoft Study Pupil Ambassador (MLSA), Nationwide Coordinator for Hult Prize UAE, and Campus Director at her college.

Influence: Over the previous three years, Abeer has led quite a few workshops and mentorship applications, empowering college students worldwide. She is a passionate advocate for ladies in tech, having mentored and supported many aspiring girls in tech. By way of her management, she actively creates alternatives and ensures inclusivity in tech areas. Her initiatives have considerably contributed to gender variety and supplied 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 important contributions to tech schooling and group constructing.

Influence: Kritika has performed a number of classes on Microsoft Azure, AI, and cloud computing, serving to college students acquire sensible abilities. She has additionally organized Hour of Code (HOC) classes for ladies in faculties, introducing younger feminine college students to programming and provoking 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 thought to be one of the vital energetic feminine MLSAs in Pakistan

Influence: 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 group devoted to empowering feminine college students in her college by fostering their private {and professional} development. By way of TECHTALK, she has mentored girls and led initiatives that encourage extra girls to pursue careers in know-how.

Diana Michelle Barrantes Gallardo
LinkedIn | MLSA Profile

Diana Michelle is a passionate advocate for ladies in STEM, working to bridge the gender hole in tech.

Influence: She has organized hackathons, workshops, and conferences, creating inclusive studying areas. By way of her TikTok and LinkedIn communities, she shares insights on AI, cybersecurity, and programming, inspiring extra girls to enter these fields. Diana has additionally contributed to analysis and mentoring tasks, offering certification help and profession steerage. Her efforts proceed to form a extra inclusive and various tech business.

Rachel Irabor
LinkedIn | Twitter | MVP Profile

Rachel Irabor is a Microsoft MVP, Developer Relations (DevRel), and World Public Speaker, famend for her contributions to the Microsoft 365 and Energy Platform communities.

Influence: Rachel has actively engaged with the tech group by way of varied channels, together with her YouTube channel, which has garnered over 50,000 views. By way of her podcast, “Woman in Love with Tech,” Rachel mentors aspiring college students, notably girls, fostering variety and inclusion within the discipline. Rachel’s unwavering dedication to know-how evangelism and group growth 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.

Influence: She approaches challenges with a relaxed, 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 staff. Past her technical experience, Sarah’s supportive management fashion conjures up these round her to carry out at their finest. She units a excessive customary for excellence and stays a gradual, guiding presence within the face of any problem.

As a supervisor, Sarah excels at fostering a wholesome work-life steadiness for all staff members, with a selected give attention to supporting girls. She understands the distinctive challenges that working girls 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 doable to thrive in a demanding profession whereas additionally prioritizing household.

Eury Rivera Vasquez
LinkedIn

Eury Rivera Vasquez is an completed Operations Supervisor overseeing a number of initiatives, together with AI tasks and Gold scholar help within the MLSA program. Her skill to offer clear, environment friendly steerage ensures easy each day operations and strengthens the general expertise for ambassadors.

Eury performs a pivotal position in fostering inclusivity inside MLSA, notably for ladies in tech. She has supported tons of of Gold Ambassadors worldwide, making certain they obtain the advocacy and mentorship wanted for fulfillment. By way of AI-focused tasks, she actively promotes equitable alternatives for ladies, inspiring the subsequent era of girls. Her management, professionalism, and unwavering dedication make her a trusted and valued member of the MLSA staff.

The Ladies and Gender Minorities in Tech (WGMIT) Leads—Olivia Oputa, Dija Vijay, Valentina Lazaro, and Eleanora Matalanga—have pushed impactful initiatives at MLSA. For Worldwide Ladies’s Day 2024, the staff hosted two world occasions in English and Spanish, partaking 60+ girls and that includes Microsoft MVPs and MLSA CPMs. The OpenTechInclusion program fostered open-source contributions, awarding prime contributors for his or her efforts. By way of the Azure AI Boot Camp, the leads supplied 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 girls entry assets, mentorship, and development alternatives in tech

Socials: Olivia | Diya | Eleanora | Valentina

Zaynul Abedin Miah
LinkedIn | MLSA Profile | YouTube

Zaynul Abedin Miah serves for instance of true allyship in tech, actively dismantling obstacles that restrict girls’s participation. As a Microsoft Study Gold Pupil Ambassador and chief in Azure Tech Group Bangladesh and Cloth Consumer Neighborhood Bangladesh, he has reworked alternatives for ladies in tech by way of daring, inclusive actions.

Influence: Zaynul assisted no less than 15 girls to earn their first certifications, by prioritizing girls whereas distributing Azure certification vouchers. His dedication extends to occasion planning—reserving 50% of examine group seats for ladies 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 worldwide initiative that empowers college students to develop technical and management abilities whereas partaking with native and world tech communities.

The Ladies and Gender Minorities in Tech (WGMIT) Neighborhood at MLSA is devoted to fostering inclusivity, mentorship, and help for underrepresented teams in tech. By way of occasions, mentorship, and advocacy, WGMIT creates alternatives for development and management within the business.

The Microsoft Most Worthwhile Professionals (MVP) program acknowledges know-how specialists who actively share their information and contribute to the broader tech group.

🏆 The way to Get Concerned

• Have a good time and Join: Comply with and have interaction with the honorees on their social platforms. Share their tales and amplify their work.
• Be part of the Motion: Turn out 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 applications, mentorship initiatives, and tech communities to foster development and empowerment.

This Worldwide Ladies’s Day 2025 let’s decide to #AccelerateAction—not simply at this time, however day-after-day. Let’s rejoice and uplift these making a distinction within the tech business.

We’re grateful to our group for nominating and recognizing these excellent people. Hold the dialog going by sharing your individual tales utilizing #MLSAIWD2025 and let’s proceed to construct an inclusive tech ecosystem collectively.