TechWomen Meet Technical Girls of Rwanda

The TechWomen delegation started today with a visit to the Carnegie Mellon University – Rwanda campus where we talked with the women Engineering students. Lunch was at the wonderful Shokola restaurant – on a covered deck in a garden. This was followed by a visit to the US Embassy for an address by Evan Ryan (Assistant US Secretary of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs).  The TechWomen mentors then spent some delightful hours under a  big tent on the embassy lawn talking about science, technology, and careers with about a hundred remarkable and lively girls from many local schools. In the evening, we enjoyed dinner with dancers at Heaven restaurant – with a night view of Kigali.  Lovely and inspiring day!

Images Copyright 2014 by Katy Dickinson

Local News, Distant News

For neighborhood news here in Willow Glen, California, we have email lists. I manage a list for the houses in our immediate area – where yesterday I announced finding a thrown-away kitten (and settled the cute little guy in a new home that night) – and there are other lists for our Northeast Quadrant, and for our whole section of the City of San Jose (Willow Glen takes up about 3 square miles).

For national news, I listen to National Public Radio on station KQED. I sometimes check in at the New York Times but their 10-story-a-month free-limit blocks my regular usage.  I have been a KQED sustaining member for decades and don’t want to pay more than that for news.

For international updates, I read Al Jazeera (English) and the BBC – two services with similar web designs but different points of view and sources. My daughter Jessica recommended Al-Jazeera, a service started by the royal family of Qatar where she studied at CMU-Q. Maybe Qatar’s backing is why Al Jazeera has no advertisements? Current stories I found interesting on Al-Jazeera:

• Is religion good or evil? – Mehdi Hasan challenges evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins at the Oxford Union
• Monk by Blood – One young Japanese struggles with his destiny as the next in line to take over his family’s 800-year old temple
• Church of England takes on money lenders – Archbishop of Canterbury wants to offer church loans in bid to put high interest lenders out of business.

Image Copyright 2013 by Katy Dickinson

Peninsula School – Grads Doing Well

In 2007, I wrote the blog entry “Peninsula School – A Successful Alternative” about the school my daughter Jessica attended from age three through 8th grade. Last weekend, many of her Peninsula School alumni classmates gathered at the annual Spring Fair in Menlo Park, California, to celebrate their 10th anniversary.  Although they started at an alternative school with no grades or tests, she and her friends have done very well indeed.

Here is where they were in 2007:

• Academy of Art University (San Francisco)
• Bard College (Annandale-on-Hudson, NY)
• California College of the Arts (San Francisco and Oakland, CA)
• Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA) – Jessica
• Colorado College (Colorado Springs, CO)
• Foothill College (Los Altos Hills, CA) 2 going
• Portland State (Portland, OR)
• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI, Troy, NY)
• Stanford University (Stanford, CA) 2 going
• Swarthmore College (Swarthmore, PA)
• University of California at Berkeley (Berkeley, CA)
• University of California at Davis (Davis, CA) 2 going
• University of California at Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz, CA) 3 going
• Wesleyan (Middletown, Connecticut)

What Jessica was able to discover about her class at their reunion:

• Motion animation business founder
• Social worker
• Online outreach specialist for a national non-profit (Jessica)
• Still at the university – studying abroad or in graduate school (at least six)
• Serial Silicon Valley technical entrepreneur
• User experience software designer
• Photographer
• Elementary school teacher
• Ultimate frisbee – professional sports player
• Deputy US Marshall
• Financial professional in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Jessica was graduated in 2012 from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh PA, with college and university honors, Phi Beta Kappa. She is now working at Polaris Project in Washington DC.

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Jessica and I traveled in Jordan and Lebanon together in February 2013.  Here we are in Petra, Jordan:

Images Copyright 2013 by Katy Dickinson

CMU Creatures

While we were trailing after my daughter Jessica during her graduation events last weekend, I was charmed to see so many animals had infiltrated the ultra-geeky world of Carnegie Mellon University. I don’t just refer to the CMU Scottish Terrier official mascot – although Scottie was there – but wild animals too. From the early morning robin and bunny to the sparrows in the grass during the commencement service, CMU creatures joined our celebrations.

Images Copyright 2012 by Katy Dickinson

CMU Graduation Pictures

My daughter Jessica graduated from Carnegie Mellon University yesterday in Pittsburgh PA, with college and university honors, Phi Beta Kappa. My son Paul and I flew in from San Jose CA and her husband Matt flew in from Seattle WA for the big event. Here is some of what I saw in our joyous three day visit:

Jessica and Paul

CMU

Phi Beta Kappa

Congratulations to the Honors Students

Three Wonderful Kids

Going to Graduation

Jessica and Proud Mom

Carnegie Tech – Class of 1948 Her Grandfather’s Medallion

Processing into the Stadium

Honors Regalia

Relaxing After All the Fuss

Pictures by Katy Dickinson 2012 Copyright

Jessica is Graduating from CMU with Honors

I am proud to announce that my clever daughter Jessica is graduating from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh PA this weekend. She finished her 5th Year Scholars project and is being awarded college honors, university honors, and Phi Beta Kappa. Phi Beta Kappa is “The Nation’s Oldest and Most Widely Known Academic Honor Society” started in 1776. She next takes on a summer internship at Harvard Law School and then is moving to Seattle WA where her husband Matt has a new job at Amazon. Busy girl!

Regular readers may remember that Jessica also graduated in 2011 but still had to finish her minor and 5th year project. All done now.

Image Copyright 2012 by Katy Dickinson

My Daughter is Married!

My daughter Jessica married her High School sweetheart Matthew yesterday at Mount Madonna Park near Gilroy. The bride was lovely, the groom was handsome, and the 125 gusts had a delightful time. Jessica wore my first wedding dress (ivory raw silk) with a river pearl necklace from her Grandmother and me.  Matt wore a tuxedo with white vest and tie. The mothers read two poems:

• I read “Wedding Poem for Schele and Phil” by Bill Holm
• Matt’s Mom Karen read “A Marriage” by Michael Blumenthal

Before, during, and after the ceremony, there were hundreds of formal photos. Then, everyone ate food and cake and was happy and  silly…  The couple will live for their first year in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania while where Jessica will be a 5th Year Scholar at CMU.  Jessica was graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with honors in Ethics, History & Public policy (that’s one major). She will finish her minor in Music and focus on her Arabic during the coming year. Matt just was graduated from William & Mary with honors in Computer Science and Public Policy.

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Images Copyright 2011 by Katy Dickinson