2020
Jasmin Higo
- Age: 24
- | She/her/hers
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It is upon us now, young people of various backgrounds, to disrupt the unequal access to opportunities affecting our vulnerable communities. It is our responsibility now to recenter the narrative on marginalized youth, women, and people suffering from poverty, gender-based violence, and all forms of racism. By lending our voice, we strive to create long-lasting changes for the most underrepresented and most vulnerable amongst us.
- Jasmin Higo
Bio
Jasmin Higo was born and raised in Germany. She is currently working toward a Bachelor of Business Administration and International Management at The Technical University of Ingolsadt and Taylor’s University. As a Student Intern at SIEMENS, Jasmin works in the Global Diversity and Inclusion Office at Siemens Germany and in Finance at Siemens Canada, working on sustainability, female leadership policy recommendations for the managing board, and sustainable finance. As a Project Manager at ApplicAid, an educational justice startup, Jasmin coordinates mentorships and is authoring a book on mentorship for disadvantaged students to ensure equal access to opportunities. Additionally, she is a United Nations Youth Association member.
What ignited your pursuit for gender equality?
At the age of 15, I visited the home country of my parents, Ethiopia. The social norm in rural Ethiopia is for girls and women to stay home and focus on domestic tasks. It was a frustrating but also eye opening experience for me, as I set my goal to ensure access to education for all girls in rural Ethiopia.
Please share your biggest wins as an advocate for gender equality.
While I was visiting the home country of my parents, Ethiopia, I witnessed the unequal access for girls and women in the education system. By advocating and creating partnerships between the AU and EU, I collected funds and used speaking opportunities to raise awareness about the topic of gender equality. With the collected funds ($38,000 USD), I was able to secure a school construction in Gefre Guda, Ethiopia that enables girls free access to institutions of education.
Outside of your gender equality advocacy work, what do you enjoy doing?
I enjoy reading biographies of inspirational leaders. Apart from that, I enjoy meeting people of various backgrounds, traveling, and volunteering.
Languages Spoken:
- English (Advanced/Native)
- German (Advanced/Native)
- French (Intermediate)
- Spanish (Intermediate)
- Arabic (Elementary)
- German (Advanced/Native)
Publications:
Speaks On:
- disadvantaged communities in education
- policy suggestions for economic empowerment
- intersectionality and gender inequality
- private sector's role in implementing the SDGs
Past Awards, Certifications, or Fellowships:
- Public Policy and Diversity management training from Federal Youth Ministry of Germany
- Youth delegate and ambassador training from Federal Youth Ministry of Germany
- Sustainability training from United Nations Youth Association
- WISE Young Leaders Fellowship from Qatar Foundation, Peace & Security training from European Youth Council and League of Arab States
- EU Youth Delegate for Peace & Security (Germany) on the European Youth Council
- Young Leader WISE fellowship from the Qatar Foundation, Youth Ambassador for International Relations
- “Menschen für Menschen” German-Ethiopian Leadership Award for collecting highest donation sum to build a school in Ethiopia
- Student Leader Award for academic and social excellence by the German Academic Scholarship Foundation, the Deutschlandstiftung Integration, and DAAD
