100 Young Women. 100 AI Products.
A New Generation of Role Models.
Female Role Models in Tech, fifth cohort.
“You didn't just teach me AI. You taught me to believe in myself. For the first time, I stopped asking whether I was good enough and started asking what I could build next,” says Elif, a finalist in the fifth cohort of Female Role Models in Tech.
Her words capture what the program set out to do: help young women move beyond using technology to creating with it, leading with confidence, and inspiring others to follow.
As artificial intelligence reshapes the future of work, these skills are no longer optional. The World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025 ranks AI and big data as the fastest-growing skills of the next five years, with around 90% of employers expecting demand for them to rise by 2030.
Female Role Models in Tech, supported by Ford Philanthropy and Ford Otosan and delivered by Young Guru Academy (YGA) and UP School, was built to change that. Over six months, the program brings together young women from across Turkey for an intensive learning journey focused on AI, from technical foundations to leadership and social impact.
From Learning AI to Building with AI
Female Role Models in Tech is designed as far more than a technical course.
Through a five-stage learning journey—Explore, Build, Challenge, Experience, and What's Next—participants develop technical capabilities, leadership skills, and a strong sense of social responsibility.
They explore emerging technologies through future skills training, strengthen their AI literacy with Google's AI Skills Essentials, build their own AI-powered solutions during an AI Buildathon, volunteer as science role models for children through YGA's social impact experiences, and continue their journeys as members of a nationwide alumni community.
This year, 1,159 young women applied to the program.
After a competitive selection process, 100 finalists completed the full journey, turning early ideas into working AI products that address real-world problems.
The finalists came from 20 provinces across Turkey and from academic backgrounds as varied as English Language and Literature and Industrial Engineering.
Technology That Solves Real Problems
The finalists did not build projects simply to finish a program.
They built solutions for the people and communities around them.
Among the AI-powered products developed were:
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VeriKalkan, helping individuals understand digital privacy risks and navigate personal data rights.
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PCOS Holistic Health Management, supporting women with personalized health tracking through AI.
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BEWARE!: JOBS, an AI-powered career assistant that combines personality assessment with future career insights and interactive simulations.
Across cybersecurity, women's health, climate, and career development, the finalists turned AI knowledge into practical tools designed to solve meaningful problems.
More Than Technical Skills
Every finalist left the program with stronger AI capabilities. But the most meaningful transformation was confidence.
All of the participants were university preparatory, first-year, or second-year students, and many joined with little or no coding experience. They graduated believing they could create technology, not simply use it. Gizem, came in without a coding background and left having designed her own AI tool.
“Thanks to what I learned, I was able to design my own AI tool. That was an incredible turning point for me,” she says.
Building a Community That Keeps Growing
Learning does not end at graduation.
Every finalist joins UP School's alumni community, connecting them with more than 2,000 graduates across Turkey.
Through mentorship, peer learning, and ongoing career support, they become part of a lasting network where they learn from one another, support one another, and inspire the next generation of women in tech.
