For starters, my name is Diadji Diawara. I am 16 years old, a terminalist student in exchange at Cleveland High School in Ohio State. For this reason I currently live in the United States in a foster family.
Here in America, we don't necessarily talk about high school education. However, my studies are more oriented towards scientific subjects such as engineering, biology, physics and mathematics, in addition to which I am compulsory additional modules for obtaining my diploma.
We know that « scientific girl » is not the conventional image of girls in Mali. Then why science?
Because in life, I want to do great things. I'd like to be one of those exemplary women that we look at with admiration by saying « One day I'll be like her ». I want to show the world that girls have potential, I wish I could mark my existence through science. To be admired for what I would have done. I want to be a great scientist and make great achievements
What is the origin of your passion for this industry?
Smaller I didn't like science and didn't necessarily make an effort to improve. At some point, one of my teachers sensitised me, he showed me everything I could do with only determination. And then I started to see things differently. After all, I could become the 1stera woman president in Mali, nothing is really impossible when you really want it. Then there was my mother. Although she is not a scientist, she has been very keen on me continuing in this direction, she has shown me everything that a scientific girl could achieve and made me admire.
Beyond all this influence, over time I began to develop a feminist attitude towards things. The fact of knowing the majority of men in certain professions such as medicine, or hearing from others that because it is a girl some things are not intended for us awakened in me a feeling that I wanted to silence. Where is it written that girls have to sit, shut up and smile? walking and not running, laughing softly, smiling and getting pretty
It can be said that despite your age, you managed today to distinguish yourself in what you are doing. What gave you the opportunity to evolve like this and be where you are?
From this period « of consciousness » If you can say, I started doing scientific activities. First with Unicef, where I always got out well. Then there was robotics. I always wanted to do my best. I was thinking, OK, a girl certainly, but now is the time to show that a girl can do the same, see even more than a boy. I gave myself in no matter what I did, I did so as to distinguish myself and be as strong as the boys.
In concrete terms I first participated in competitions, then I joined the Oxy Young camp initiated by UNICEF where I stood out through the passion I put into these activities. I really liked what I was doing. After I had to join the child parliament. Then there was Robots Mali. My adventure in this center and within the robotics team really changed my life.
Can you tell us more?
I started robotics at the age of 13. Due to my good grades, I was noticed by the Robots Mali team while I was selected following my candidacy for the national team in 2017
When I arrived at Robots Mali, I didn't know anything about robotics. I followed just like the years that followed theoretical and practical training. We did programming, we mounted and dismantled robots and a lot of other things.
During our first participation in the Dakar competition we were rewarded for our performance.
- The year after, we trained for 6 months, and won the gold medal in Dakar at the 2018 PARC robotics Pan-African competition;
- Then there was Estonia. Although I couldn't get back, I worked with the team on the competition robots and the team was remarkable;
- During 4nd competition, I didn't work with STARS or TECHs, but with the Makers team, a high school team those who make architecture and project presentation And we finished 2nd with a silver medal at Accra PARC 2019;
What was the most important time during your various competitions?
The most significant moment for me was when you were on the competition stage and wondering if your program will finally work or not. This adrenaline that went up, this moment that was finally going to be decisive for you, we imagine a whole bunch of scenario in his little head that may not finally happen.
What do you remember about this adventure?
To formulate this in a simple way: Before going through Robots MaliI was just one of so many girls. When I left the centre, I was a citizen armed with skills and trust for the rest of life.
Robotics changed my life. The time when I was in Robots Mali, I took on the science as it really is, I had a new reason for thinking before sleeping and waking up every morning. This adventure has changed my vision of life and has led to the acquisition of new skills in many scientific fields and even more personally. I went from a girl who saw everything simplified to a girl who saw far beyond the impossible. The proof is, 2 years ago, I tried to do an internship at one of the Robots Mali camps, to further deepen my knowledge and gain a new experience, then I embarked on the adventure of the outside world. As we say, you have to learn from the teachers to be able to overcome them.
So I tried my luck with the YES Program. Which brings me back to where I am right now. For my age, I consider myself quite independent and rather focused on the essentials. Today, I say it with pride, I am a little girl who comes from Africa, Mali and I know how to make robots thanks to Robots Mali and today I am captain in the United States of the robotic team of my school. I learned team work and management all the time I was the captain of Mali's national team. I keep making robots and I'm not discouraged.
What are your hobbies?
I like to cook and have fun with my friends and family, I like to read also and especially to meet challenges, challenges
And what is your favorite book and why?
My favorite book would probably be Twilight of Ancient Times of Nazi Boni. The reason is
Simple. The passage « is the twilight of ancient times and the dawn of new times » was a click for me. It reminds me of Africa as it is today. An Africa in transition abandoning its culture to the profile of Western culture.
The majority of the books I read tell the facts of the past, the history of Africa, I like to try to understand how things were going and how they were evolving scientifically.
How do you see yourself in about five to ten years?
Finishing my bachelor's degree in college already. I'd like to become a mechatronics engineer. Area that was initiated by RobotsMali coaches. On the other hand, I have the ambition to become an environmental science engineer, because because of the degree of pollution that exists, I think, a lot of help to help the world. At the same time, if I had the opportunity to do both tracks at once, then I would do them together.
Also, I see myself becoming a youth influencer on social networks. A model of personal development, a figure whom one admires and who sees it as being said I envied doing the same thing as she did. I want to influence young girls to move more towards science.
Mali is your homeland. What do you think you can bring him?
I wanted to set up my own company, helping my country develop in the technological field, I know that acting alone will not change Mali, but in addition to being a great icon of development, I would like to influence others to do as I do in order to broaden the scope of our actions further.
What more do you have to say about the development of your country?
I think it will take time, but I know that we will. It's just that people start to change something in them, a habit, a mentality, let everyone say I envied doing this, I envied bringing this. We need only a little will to achieve great things.
What is your vision of life?
I consider life a fight. We get up every day to fight, make a place. In life we don't all have the same chance. For this reason we must wake up every day with the ambition to create our own chance, we must fight for what we want.
Do you think that's enough to make a difference?
I think that if everyone gets up and fights for what he thinks is right, that could bring about the change we need, that much sought-after change, because it just needs a group with convictions, to change things. Change is just a matter of will
A word for the end?
I thank all the actors who have contributed to my being where I am, especially RobotsMali because thanks to them, science has changed my life. And for this reason I strongly encourage young people to move more towards this area because it can also change their own.
