Ashley Lin 2019 EngineerGirl Ambassador

My Story

In Summer 2018, I served as a U.S. Youth Ambassador to Uruguay with a scholarship from the U.S. Department of State. Travel has opened my eyes to the importance of cross-cultural collaboration to overcome stereotypes, foster inclusion, and address today’s critical issues — yet so many students don’t have access to meaningful exchange opportunities, whether it be due to finances, documentation, or family life. Today, I serve as the Founder & Executive Director of Project Exchange, a nonprofit organization increasing access to cross-cultural leadership development opportunities for high school/college students. Our 10-week Digital Exchange Program (DEP) simulates the authentic study abroad experience — through technology, we provide a platform to investigate culture, global citizenship, and change.

My Project

A 10-week digital exchange program focused primarily on the themes of engineering and community engagement. ‘Mentees’ are matched to a peer ‘mentor’ in their desired field of engineering & from a different country. Using their newfound engineering knowledge, mentees build solutions to problems they see in their community. Mentors within the peer-to-peer Digital Exchange will be recruited from around the globe, through networks including Technovation, #BuiltByGirls, and SHE++. These mentors and mentees will embark on the 10 week program January 2019, and ‘graduate’ mid-March! After gaining these skills to activate community projects through engineering, we hope alumni will return to mentor a new cohort of participants!