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Project
Artemis
fellows step
forward in
Afghanistan
Thunderbird saw
something new
when women entrepreneurs
from
five Afghan provinces arrived
on campus in January 2013
for the fifth iteration of Project
Artemis. For the first time
since Thunderbird launched
the business education program
in 2005, nearly every
participant gave permission
to be photographed and
quoted in the media.
In past years the majority
of Artemis fellows worried
about retaliation in Afghanistan
for their participation
in a women’s empowerment
program.
“It is a change,” said 2013
Artemis fellow Asila Sadiqi,
who runs an agriculture
Nada Al Harthi ’12, left, escorts Project Artemis fellow Sania Wafeq to a welcome reception Jan. 28, 2013, in
the Thunderbird Events Center.
business in Harat Province.
“We are the new generation.
We were born with these
challenges, and we are not
afraid.”
Geeti Aryanpur, a 2013
Artemis fellow who runs
an Afghan jewelry business,
said speaking out
remains risky, but she wants
to inspire others. “Maybe
some other women will find
courage when they see us
speaking freely,” she said.
The 2013 program
produced 11 graduates,
bringing the total to 74 in
eight years.
SUZY HOWELL
Thunderbird
delivers
fast results
in Haiti
Haitian entrepreneur
Wesmia Bruno moved
quickly to apply the skills
she learned at Thunderbird
during a women’s empowerment
program sponsored
by the U.S. State Department
and Goldman Sachs.
Bruno used her Thunderbird
knowledge to launch a
digital marketing firm that
attracted three major clients
within three months, including
Jamaican Grammy-winning
reggae artist
Sean Paul. The company
complements a graphic
design and marketing firm
that Bruno previously
started in 2011.
“The people at Thunderbird
are awesome,” Bruno
TIM CLARKE
Haitian women entrepreneurs
attend their Global Cohort
graduation ceremony Oct.
26, 2012, on the Thunderbird
Tower lawn.
said. “The two weeks that I
spent here were amazing.”
Bruno and 26 other Haitian
businesswomen were
selected from a pool of
more than 400 applicants
to attend the third installment
of the Entrepreneurship
Partnership Global
Cohort in October 2012.
Overall, the Thunderbird
for Good program served
80 nontraditional students
from 21 developing countries
in 2012.
12 spring 2013