Wendy Oluoch is a CEO in the technology industry which has, for a ling time, been seen to be male dominated.
She is the CEO of Jenga School, a computer sciences professional development institution that seeks to unleash Africa’s genius to help solve global problems.
But how did Wendy rise to be a supporter of women in tech and passionate about impacting lives? Here is her story as told by WoK.
Background
Wendy was born and brought up in Nairobi.
She attended Gilgil Hills Academy for her primary school education before joining Moi High School Kabarak.
Upon completion of her secondary school education, she enrolled at the United States International University (USIU) for her undergraduate and postgraduate.
While Wendy noted that her leadership journey started when she was young, she stated that she was the school captain in primary.
At Kabarak High School, she was the head of different clubs, and at USIU, she was an active member of the student union.
“All through, I have been in leadership positions and I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily luck. I have had to work for everything that I have accomplished and I wouldn’t say my current leadership position and others as well have been a walk in the park,” she said.
Jenga School
Wendy is the CEO of Jenga School.
This is a computer sciences professional development institution offering among other courses Data Engineering, Data Science and Software Engineering.
As it held it’s second graduation in April 2022, Wendy noted that she hopes to empower 50,000 women through their programs by 2030.
“Truth is, women still have to push a little harder for opportunities and recognition, but we are seeing a lot of changes
“While barriers for women still exist, opportunities are also knocking! So where do I see myself in 5 years? At the forefront of the people empowering women and driving this change in the tech space,” she said.
At Jenga School, Wendy also runs Jenga Foundation which seeks to provide a path to careers in Computer Sciences through JENGA School for underprivileged students.
The foundation enables qualified candidates to access STEM opportunities through a fee matching program where students produce 50 percent of the tuition fee.
On being the first female CEO of a tech company, she said being first is always a hard task because there is usually a level of expectations from all stakeholders, your team, the board and from yourself.
“I remember the day of my announcement as CEO, I was elated, but mostly I was honoured to be trusted to be the torch holder of Jenga school’s vision. So, if I think about it, being the first CEO means trust- being trusted by all parties involved to run this institution
“It means empowerment, not just to me as an individual but also to women in the tech space who are yet to realise that they too deserve a seat at the table. They too can make a difference. It’s never about the role but always about the goal,” Wendy added.
Wendy hopes that the future holds more opportunities for progression for women in tech.
