Who am I?
Alison Tuiyott
I'm a first generation Kenyan-American. As a child, I loved math. I still remember doing those speed multiplication tests and feeling the adrenaline as I rushed to complete them first. Every game that involved math, puzzles or strategic thinking was an opportunity to challenge myself. And I love a good challenge. As I grew up, I noticed a lot of my peers felt differently about challenges and most of them resented math. I began to wonder what happened along the way.
My Learning Journey
Math Nerd
Throughout my high school, undergraduate and graduate experience, I saw fewer and fewer people that looked like me. Those same girls that I used to compete with for multiplication tests now cringed when I mentioned anything in the realm of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). As I dove into research about this crisis, I ran across many articles that mention the major drop off in interest when girls become teenagers.
Why?
STEM was Mandatory
Personally, leaving the STEM track was not an option coming from an African household. However, I completely understand why others left. The challenges that I faced as an underrepresented Black woman in the data science space alone has tested me more than I even have time to explain. The challenge most of the time is not even the content, but the environment.
That is why Zawadi Co was created. Our goal and mission is to transform the data science space by introducing and encouraging others in our community to join. I believe we have strength in numbers. Whether you are interested in: data modeling, data analytics, data engineering, machine learning engineering, and so much more, we can open the door to knowledge and help build the capacity needed to excel in this field.
Our first take on building interest was creating Adventures with Amani. We wanted to reach our youth and spark some curiosity about data science. With a vision to continue the book as a series, we want to use the main character, Amani, as a champion for exploration in the data science space.
Zawadi Co Mission
Zawadi in Swahili means gift. It is truly a gift to be:
- Zealous
- African/Bl(a)ck
- Women
- Advancing
- Data Science
- Innovation
Our mission is to educate African/Black women and girls about the field of data science. We want to provide the tools necessary to spark interest, develop understanding of the tech industry, feel included and empowered to join the industry. We believe capacity building in this area will help open up opportunities to many more who follow.
Adventures with Amani
- From a project that began in 2020, Amani's story was destined to be shared with the world. Adventures with Amani is a self-published book created to reach young African/Black readers. The sole purpose is to spark interest in the data science space. We want to show that anyone can be a data scientist and curiosity is beautiful.
- Alison Tuiyott holds a master’s and bachelor’s in statistics and predictive analytics with a minor in computer science from Miami University. She enjoys coding and all things data: data modeling, data analytics, and data engineering. In her current role, she applies this knowledge in the finance industry. Alison serves as a mentor for those interested in entering the data science field.
- Illustrations were created by Joshua Roberts. He is a character designer/illustrator and holds a bachelor’s of fine arts, specializing in animation, from Savannah College of Art and Design. He’s had an affinity for art since he was a small child, drawing his favorite cartoons and eventually creating his own. He has worked for studios such as Steve Harvey Global, Chaz Bottoms Animation, and more. For information regarding character design or illustrations, contact drawnoutjosh@gmail.com or visit www.drawnoutjosh.com.