Inspiring Woman Leader Spotlight: Ruhy Patel

Interview by Megan Foo, President of Women LEAD’s Hong Kong Chapter

Ruhy Patel is a high school senior and the Student Body President at Central Bucks High School in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Passionate about global relations and philanthropy, Ruhy is currently a Teen Advisor for Girl Up, a campaign of the United Nations Foundation that mobilizes girls in the US to raise awareness and funds to support some of the world’s hardest-to-reach adolescent girls. She is an active member of service initiatives on and off campus, and hopes to ultimately make a difference in the lives of young women as well as young men.

Women LEAD: What is your background?

Ruhy Patel: I am currently a senior at Central Bucks High School West in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. I have lived in the United States my whole life, but I’ve had the incredible opportunity to visit various places in the world and through that fostered my interest in the United Nations and international relations. Next year when I enter college I hope to study international relations, business economics and political science, and in four or five years I aspire to attend law school.

In school I try my hardest to do the best I can because my education is very important to me and I value all the opportunities I get. I hope to one day be able to use my education to reach those who don’t get the same opportunities that I do.

My parents and I like to joke that although I love running my day sport is leadership. In school I am an active member of service organizations such as Key Club, National Honor Society, Future Business Leaders of America and Student Government. I am currently the Student Body President for my school, which means that I get the chance to represent my school on the state level at Pennsylvania Association of Student Councils, and on the county level at our Bucks County Student Forum. These organizations helped to build a leadership training base for me where I learned leadership skills, people skills and gained a great deal of confidence in myself.

Besides school involvement, I am very passionate about the communities I am a part of: the Doylestown community, the Pennsylvania community, the United States community and of course the global community. I was appointed as a Junior Councilperson for the Borough of Doylestown for the 2013-2014 term, during which I served as a voice for youth and learned the workings of local government. I am also an active volunteer in the Doylestown community where I am Apprentice at the Doylestown Historical Society and a volunteer at the Alchemy Open Art Studio – a therapeutic art studio that serves the public. In the broader community I intern for the Kevin Strouse Campaign and at Givology.org – online giving community that connects donors straight to education programs and individual students around the world.

My involvement with my global community began when I was very young, a feat to which all credit goes to my parents. From childhood, I have always been exposed to any and all cultures my parents could tap into, from eating a new cuisine every two weeks to traveling to as many places as was financially possible. I got the chance to grow my interest to the way the world existed. As I developed understandings of the world, I began to focus on the policies in place and the issues each country faced. That’s when my interest for the United Nations truly sparked. I joined my county chapter of the United Nations Association the summer after 9^th grade and began attending Youth Board Meetings the spring of 10^th grade (It was during 10^th grade that I first heard about the Girl Up Campaign) I was soon appointed as a full time Board Member on the Bucks County UNA Board, where I currently serve.

I’m very passionate about service and global policy and hope to one day make a difference in the lives of young women as well as young men.

Women LEAD: You are a Teen Advisor and a member of your high school chapter of Girl Up, a UN Campaign with the vision of helping girls realize their opportunities to become healthy, safe, educated, counted, and empowered to be the next generation of leaders. What inspired you to get involved with Girl Up?

Ruhy Patel: I heard about the Girl Up campaign during my first year working with the Bucks County UNA and I fell in love with the message. It is not often that students in the parts of America that I come from think about their education in the broad context of their lives, however it is important to know that not everyone gets an education.

To me the message was clear: You are blessed with everything to reach your full potential, but not all children are. I have the chance to go to school, to pull myself up and to make for myself whatever path I see fit. It broke my heart to witness the girls’ struggles in the film Girl Rising – the 10×10 feature highlighting the lives of nine girls from nine countries. I made it my conviction to use my education to help those who don’t get that chance.

One of the most vivid memories I can call to mind when explaining why I am so passionate about Girl Up’s cause is from my trips to India to visit family. I remember being little and packing for our long trips to see my grandmothers. We would run to Staples and fill half of our bags with school supplies. But only years later did it finally hit me that education truly is the ticket to a healthier, safer, and empowered life. I finally understood why when we gave them money, they didn’t smile nearly as much as when I handed them notebooks and pens and little lesson books. They understood the value of those simple tools a lot more that I had.

If I were to describe my inspiration for getting involved with Girl Up in two words it would be: ‘Those children’. They have so much potential. Knowing that with the tools to become healthy, safe, educated, counted, and empowered young women they could truly change the world, I can’t ignore the chance to help.

Women LEAD: What motivates you to continue fighting for girls’ education? 

Ruhy Patel: Motivation to fight for girls’ education, for me, lies in the reward of a better world. The idea that “A girl with an extra year of education can earn up to 20% more as an adult” is only one reason that we need to educate these young girls. Among rise in earnings, there is the classic argument that she will in turn invest in the economy of her country, provide better health care to herself and her family, and send her own children to school.

The lack of education is still a significant issue facing our world today and if we were all to turn a blind eye; we would do our world a disservice. For me fighting for girls’ education ensures that I am at least trying to make a difference, as little or as big as it may be. I hope that by fighting I can send the message to those I know that it is an important cause and it requires attention.

Women LEAD: Why does women’s empowerment matter to you?

Ruhy Patel: Women’s empowerment matters for me because there is still a culture in today’s society that perpetuates so much stress on women from body image to social norms that they face self-esteem issues and often feel as though they can’t do what they want to. There are still more girls that don’t go to school than boys, and there are still more girls that suffer from diseases, child marriage, and poverty. By building a strong generation of leaders from the girls of the world we can help to change the face of the modern woman. Empowering women in America AND in around the world can truly build a foundation for a better future. We can add a whole new force and fresh perspective to every field or work, especially in policy-making. In our own country about 90% of lawmakers are male and the few females present often go without notice. These women are often judged more off of the content of their closet then the content of their speeches, perpetuating the social idea that it is okay to judge a woman thus. Only by empowering women to take stands and rise to more leadership positions in not only the policy-making fields but every field, we can make an impact on social constructs.

Women LEAD: Can you talk about one woman who has impacted you in your life?

Ruhy Patel: One woman that has impacted my life is my mother. She represents for me the roots and foundation for my independence. My mom, Sangita Patel, is a very hardworking individual that always has patience and a cool head. When she was about 16 years old she lost her father, and being the oldest daughter of four girls, she had to assume the role of a second parent. She was taught from a very young how to stand on her own two feet and learned the value of an education. Upon finishing her bachelors and masters, she married my father and moved to the United States, where they both struggled to keep my brother and me comfortable. I admire her go-getter attitude and the way she never seems to lose frustration. Some of the best words of advice I have heard have come from my mom and the most important thing she has said to me is to never give up and always push myself so that I could stand tall and be proud. My mother is the source of every bit of sunshine in my life and every joy, but she is also the strongest woman I know. I see her struggle under so much, yet achieve so high. Being a woman in the STEM field she is the only woman on her team, yet she works hard and performs at top level.

Both the strength I have and the dedication to women’s empowerment come from a family tradition of strong women. Both of my grandmothers, my mom, and all of my aunts represent to me the importance of empowering women. I have taken so much from their life experiences and I hope to be able to pass on the legacy someday.

Women LEAD: What advice do you have for current and future advocates for women and girls?

Ruhy Patel: For current and future advocates for women and girls, I would simply say – Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. It is important that every advocate realizes that the true impact that she/he makes begins with herself (or himself. The problems are nowhere near fixed and it’ll be a long fight, but keep working at it! Overall, stay committed, don’t give up and believe in the power of one individual to make a difference.

For all the young girls out there who believe that they are too young to get involved, I hope they understand that you are never too young to be strong and empowered! Get involved early and keep working until you get to where you want to be.

Women LEAD: Are there websites or books that are inspiring you right now about gender equality, women’s empowerment, and education?

Ruhy Patel: I tend to watch a lot of YouTube videos by various organizations that publicize issues related to education, gender equality and women’s empowerment. These videos are truly the best way to engage a listener and increase advocacy.

A few of the websites that I really enjoy visiting are of course GirlUp.org, http://www.girleffect.org/, and http://www.weprinciples.org. In terms of education and world issues, I regularly read the United Nations Association newsletters. There is a list of books and movies that Girl Up suggests to read and watch to build understanding about all three of those topics that I am currently working on that includes works such as I Am Malala (by Malala Yousafzi), A Thousand Splendid Suns (by Khaled Hosseini), and The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between the Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World (by Jacqueline Novogratz).

Inspiring Woman Leader Spotlight: Linda To

Interview by Megan Foo, President of Women LEAD’s Hong Kong Chapter

Linda To is a Founding Member and Executive Director of HER Fund, an organization in Hong Kong that mobilizes resources and invests in empowering women and girls to create change in communities for gender equality. With over 20 years of work experience for the advancement of women’s rights, Linda is devoted to the education of young people on gender equality and social justice. She has spent over 15 years supervising social work placement students in various universities, mostly practicing in women’s work settings or community settings.

Women LEAD: What is your background?

Linda To: I was a trained social worker many years ago and I’ve been working with the community. Also I’ve worked in a women’s shelter in Hong Kong called Harmony House, a shelter for women facing domestic violence. I have been in the social work field for quite some time and I am now supervising social work students who are practicing fieldwork at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Another part-time job is my role as Executive Director of HER Fund, and I’m also a founding member of the fund. I have been involved with women’s work for over 25 years because I’ve worked with Harmony House and have also worked with the Women Workers’ Association in Hong Kong and also have been working with some low-income women in the Confederation of Trade Unions. I’ve been involved voluntarily as a Board Member and an Executive Committee Member of various women’s organizations too.

Women LEAD: You are the Executive Director of HER Fund, a nonprofit organization in Hong Kong that empowers women and girls to create change in communities for gender equality. Can you tell me more about HER Fund and its impact?

Linda To: HER Fund is a community fund (not a family foundation or corporate foundation) started by a group of women activists. We have been involved with women’s work, in promoting rights and gender equality for some time. We realized that there are not many resources, especially financial resources like funding support to those projects for women’s rights advocacy, particularly advocacy and campaigning work in Hong Kong. In the past, there are some funders from overseas willing to give funding to rights-based work in Hong Kong, but as Hong Kong became more “ economically developed,” these funders do not take Hong Kong as their priority funding geographical area. So it’s not been easy to find funding support. In 2002, the founding members planned to start a local women’s fund, but we didn’t have any money to start with. So we started searching and we realized that there are international women’s funds willing to support the startup of some women’s local funds in different countries and different places. We asked for some startup grants from them and HER Fund started in 2004.

Our main work is to give small grants, raise donations through different means, and run capacity building for our grantees, because there are a lot of small and self-help women’s organizations in Hong Kong and those we supported are from the marginalized sector so they face discrimination or do not have a voice in society. We have also run capacity building for strengthening their organizational capacities so that they learn how to fundraise for their own organization and how to build their organization and develop membership. These kinds of capacities are very important for the group to sustain.

We have given over 90 grants to support projects and small organizations. The money that we have made is over HK$3 million and we also have seen small women’s self-help groups able to develop for a few years and were then able to access more funding from bigger funders. We are also giving seed grants for new initiatives to start up. It is very important in our society to have new initiatives.

Women LEAD: What motivates you to advance women’s and girls’ rights in Hong Kong?

Linda To: I think it’s because I’ve been working with various women’s groups on women’s issues. I’ve seen that there is a need for us to have a local women’s fund so that we can mobilize resources for doing the work. Secondly, in Hong Kong society, women’s issues have not been really taken on board. Although we have a Women’s Commission in place, the Women’s Commissions is a consultative body and has no actual power in decision-making on policies. There aren’t many resources for developing women’s rights works so that’s our motivation to start a women’s fund. We hope that the funds can generate more resources and support more projects to work on defending women’s rights.

Women LEAD: Why does women’s empowerment matter to you?

Linda To: If we are talking about raising women’s status and raising women’s voices, empowerment is the first step. Women have to be sure of themselves, recognizing their own abilities, and also taking control of what’s happening around them – so I think empowerment is very important. Also, I think due to gender stereotypes, women’s roles are mostly very submissive, dependent and secondary, and sometimes we are unsure of our own abilities. Women’s empowerment is a process wherein women realize their abilities and strengths to change.

Women LEAD: Can you talk about one woman who has impacted you in your life?

Linda To: When I see this question, I immediately think of my mother. My mother is very close to me; she taught me to care for others. She is a role model. I think that from the way I’ve grown up, my mother has given me a lot of space and autonomy and that’s how I can think out of the box, think in different ways and develop more critical and alternate thinking.

Women LEAD: What advice do you have for future women leaders?

Linda To: My advice would be to do what you believe in and you have to dare to change because sometimes we have a lot of blocks not just from society but from within ourselves as well. We have the fear to try new things so daring to change requires determination and commitment.

Inspiring Woman Leader Spotlight: Jessica Ou

Interview by Megan Foo, President of Women LEAD’s Hong Kong Chapter

Jessica Ou is an undergraduate student at the University of California, Berkeley. She is interested in finance, strategy, technology, international relations, and social entrepreneurship. Passionate about women’s empowerment, Jessica has served as Peer Educator at UC Berkeley’s Gender Equity and Resource Center, Head of Marketing in Berkeley Women in Business, and as a Volunteer Intern at the Women’s Economic Agenda Project. Furthermore, she recently founded an organization called Girls Run Tech, which aims to bridge the gap for women (both technical and non-technical) in the technology industry through community, mentorship, and partnerships with technology companies. Jessica was awarded the 2014 Women of Peace Award, which recognizes individuals that are working on cutting edge programs, or have created new ways of thinking about ending domestic violence or waging peace.

Women LEAD: What is your background?

Jessica Ou: I am a junior student studying Business, Social Welfare, and Economics at UC Berkeley. My interests lie in finance, strategy, technology, international relations, and social entrepreneurship.

At Berkeley, I’ve been involved in many women’s projects as Head of Marketing in Berkeley Women in Business, a Peer Educator for the Gender Equity Resource Center, and a member of the student government Sexual Assault Task Force.

Outside of my school involvements, I am an Executive Council member of the International Youth Council–founded at the United Nations Youth Assembly–which mobilizes over 5,000 youth from around the world, and an Advisory Board Member for UNICEF’s Chinese Children Initiative. I also serve on the Youth Advisory Council of the Crisis Text Line, a subsidiary of DoSomething.org, the world’s largest youth action organization. Recently, I was chosen to be the National Youth Ambassador for California for Youth Service America, and will work with the California senator’s office to execute a financial literacy program for girls. This past summer, I attended the United Nations Youth Assembly as a delegate, and will be traveling to Moscow in the coming month as a delegate for the Stanford U.S.-Russia Forum.

I’m also very passionate about technology, and I currently work at Greylock Partners and am a USA Google Student Ambassador. In the past, I’ve worked at Uber, KPMG, and Euclid Analytics. Recently, I’ve conducted organizational behavioral research for the Haas School of Business and big data crowdfunding research for the MIT Sloan School of Management.

I’ve been designing and coding since I was six years old and run my own web design company. In my free time, I blog for the Huffington Post and am a contributing writer for USA Today.

Women LEAD: You formerly interned at the Women‘s Economic Agenda Project. Can you tell us more about your experiences?

Jessica Ou: Volunteering with the Women’s Economic Agenda Project (WEAP) was one of the most eye-opening experiences for me. As a local non-profit in Oakland, CA, working with a ground-roots organization was a great experience. I had the chance to learn from people have been through great struggles in their lives and overcome them through the teach-ins and workshops that the Women’s Economic Agenda Project holds. I was very close to directly seeing the impact of the organization’s efforts. Working with WEAP set the foundation for my passion in gender equity and human rights, and made me motivated to work even harder to propel change for impoverished women.

What was most inspirational for me was the people I met while volunteering there. One staff member, Carolyn Milligan, spent her entire life fighting for a better life for working people after overcoming some severe personal obstacles in the whole process. She moved to Oakland 20 years ago after becoming blind from inadequate medical care, which also forced her into kidney dialysis. It is women like Carolyn that inspire me to work to relieve women out of poverty and structural discrimination.

Women LEAD: You were also a Peer Educator at the Gender Equity and Resource Center. Can you tell us more about this role?

Jessica Ou: I have been involved at the Gender Equity Resource Center at UC Berkeley as a volunteer intern and peer educator. As a peer educator, I raised discussion about inclusivity, diversity, and anti-bullying on campus. My role was to identify a problem in the LGBTQ and Women’s community on campus. I worked with a team of other peer educators in identifying that there was a gap in communication between LGBTQ and women’s organizations on campus, and planned and held a “Mind the Gap: Cross-Cultural Collaboration” event on campus, inviting all LGBTQ and women’s organizations to join in conversation and networking. As a volunteer intern, I dedicated my time in marketing various women’s programs and empowerment events on campus. My focus and goal working with the Gender Equity Resource Center was to create a more inclusive environment for women and LGBTQ students on campus.

Women LEAD: You served as the Head of Marketing for UC Berkeley Women in Business. Why is empowering women pursuing business-related paths important to you?

Jessica Ou: Women leaders such as Pepsi CEO Indra Nooyi and Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer are constantly under microscopic scrutiny purely because of their gender, while other males CEOS are less watched and less criticized. It’s stereotypes about leadership that a woman has to overcome in the work place. I think that there are two important things for women in business–the first is mentorship, and the second is having a community of other female businesswomen as a support system.

Women LEAD: Why does empowering women in entrepreneurship matter to you?

Jessica Ou: I think the statistics concerning women in entrepreneurship are startling. 92% of startup founders are male, and only 8% are female. This can be attributed to discrimination within the venture capital industry, stemming with lack of representation of successful female entrepreneurs. Investors are looking for the Mark Zuckerbergs of the Silicon Valley—the clear-cut, white males. Female entrepreneurs run into several obstacles relating to their gender, with some investors even looking to date female entrepreneurs rather than taking their company ideas seriously. It’s a perpetual cycle, because the less representation, the less investors take women seriously, and the more women hesitate to become entrepreneurs. I think it’s something that needs to change, and it has to start at the top with the investors.

Women LEAD: What, to you, are the biggest challenges to achieving gender equality in technology industries?

Jessica Ou: To me, I believe that the biggest challenge is overcoming preconceptions and stereotypes about women in technology. It’s been thought of for centuries that women are not meant to be in technology fields, but rather, men are. We’re still experiencing the ramifications of that type of thinking today, with women representing only one in ten computer science graduates. It’s always intimidating for women to enter into a field that is male-dominated. There is starting to be a slow shift with women’s networking groups and coding programs for girls, but it’s slow.

Women LEAD: Can you talk about one woman who has impacted you in your life?

Jessica Ou: One woman that has impacted my life was my Gender and Women Studies professor my freshman year, Professor Barnes. She taught me to look at everything that life throws at you from a critical perspective—to question everything and the situations around us. It made me look at everything differently—and once I started questioning things and understanding inequalities, I was more driven to fix them.

Inspiring Woman Leader Spotlight: Jenny Bowen

Interview by Megan Foo, President of Women LEAD’s Hong Kong Chapter

Jenny Bowen is the founder and CEO of Half the Sky, an international NGO founded in 1998 in order to better the lives of orphaned and abandoned children living in China’s state-run welfare institutions. A former screenwriter and independent filmmaker, Bowen is a recipient of the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, and the 2007 American Chamber of Commerce’s Women of Influence Entrepreneur of the Year Award in Hong Kong. Bowen serves on China’s National Committee for Orphans and Disabled Children and on the Consultative Committee of Experts for Beijing Normal University’s Philanthropy Research Institute. She is the author of the memoir, Wish You Happy Forever: What China’s Orphans Taught Me About Moving Mountains, published by Harper Collins in 2014.

Women LEAD: What is your background?

Jenny Bowen: I grew up in San Francisco and was an independent filmmaker and screenwriter before I linked up with a small group of adoptive parents of Chinese children to start the Half the Sky Foundation.

Women LEAD: You are the Founder and CEO of the Half the Sky Foundation, an international NGO with the mission of ensuring that every orphaned child has a caring adult in her life and a chance at a bright future. Can you tell us more about the Half the Sky Foundation and its impact?

Jenny Bowen: When Half the Sky Foundation first started working in China, there was no recognition of the fact that institutionalized children – just like children all over the world — can thrive when they are given, more than food and shelter, when they are given the nurturing care that should be their birthright. The programs we established in government-run orphanages all over the country in the last 16 years have proven over and over that institutionalized children can in fact blossom when an adult gives them the patient, loving care – the hugs, the smiles, the encouragement — that is crucial for healthy development. Now the Chinese government not only recognizes that fact but has also made our child-centered programs the standard for the entire public welfare system. We were also honored to be invited by the government to train every child welfare worker in the country about the importance of nurturing care and how to deliver it through our Rainbow Program. We also now have the opportunity to begin to start the process of turning everything we have built over to the Chinese to operate and fund as has always been our intention. In 2011 we helped launch our Chinese sister organization, Chunhui Children, whose mission is to galvanize Chinese citizens and corporations to support the programs we have established and extend them to more institutions and to at-risk children living in the community. Now, in addition to our Western supporters, generous individuals and corporations who have benefited from China’s new prosperity can support the children who have been left behind.

Women LEAD: What inspires you to keep fighting to improve the lives of children in China?

Jenny Bowen: The countless number of children I have met at the 53 Children’s Centers we have established in government-run orphanages throughout China. I never fail to be moved by their magical transformations—shattered, emotionally vacant children become the curious, smiling children they were meant to be after they receive the simple gift of nurturing that is taken for granted in loving families. Those transformations keep me fighting to improve the lives of the children we haven’t yet reached.

Women LEAD: You also authored a new book, Wish You Happy Forever, which chronicles your lives to transform Chinese orphanages positively. Can you tell us more about your book?

Jenny Bowen: I was thrilled to be given the opportunity of writing the story of Half the Sky, but it wasn’t easy. I wrote a draft based on a story I’d been carrying in my heart. My editor said he loved the story, but it didn’t have enough of me in it. So I had to go back and look at my past. I had never thought about what it is in me that’s pushing me to help these kids find love. The “me” came out in very unexpected ways. I didn’t receive enough love as a child and that started coming out. One of the many great pleasures of my book tour has been meeting some of the families whose children have been impacted by our work and receiving photos, notes and handcrafted gifts. One child made a drawing with lots of hearts and wrote, “Dear Half the Sky, Thank you for taking care of me.”

Women LEAD: On a personal level, why does empowering girls matter to you?

Jenny Bowen: My daughter Maya was the inspiration for starting Half the Sky. When we adopted her from a Chinese orphanage in 1997, she suffered the ill effects of institutionalization – she was shut down emotionally and behind developmentally. I saw how Maya blossomed when she was empowered, when she received the love and support she needed. She and my daughter Anya, also adopted from China, have become interesting, engaged, loving young women and they inspire me every day.

Women LEAD: Can you talk about one woman who has impacted you in your life?

Jenny Bowen: Zhang Zhirong (“ZZ”). ZZ is the heart and soul of Half the Sky. Without her, Half the Sky would not exist. ZZ was an official interpreter and tour guide and working for the China Population Welfare Foundation when we met, but she soon started working tirelessly for Half the Sky. She quickly became my big sister, my guide, and my Chinese voice.

Women LEAD: What advice do you have for prospective social entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders?

Jenny Bowen: Stay committed to your mission and don’t let the fact that you may not have any experience in the nonprofit world deter you.