WHO I SAW: Mothers of Invention – DreamWakers
The 2016 Women in the World D.C. Salon at the Park Hyatt Hotel, Washington D.C; 03/08/2016
DC isn’t short of smart, innovating, entrepreneurial women and Monica Gray and Annie Medaglia are just that. These two UVA grads and DC-based entrepreneurs created a non-profit that leverages free video technology like Skype and Google Hangout to virtually bring career speakers into public school classrooms in low-income communities. Monica and Annie recognize – growing up in a public school system – how challenging it was to secure busy professionals to volunteer, or visit classrooms. Enter DreamWakers. DreamWakers is a program centered around sessions called “Flashchats,” 30-minute video chats with professionals talking about their careers, opportunities, and challenges with middle and high school students. “Flashchats” have been introduced in 35 cities with speakers from companies like Nike, Google, Apple, Amazon and the White House.
DreamWakers was honored with the 2016 Toyota Mothers of Invention Award on March 8th at the Women in the World Salon in DC and awarded a 50K, Driving Solutions Grant.
About Toyota Mothers of Invention
The Toyota Mothers of Invention series identifies and recognizes women who actively contribute to their communities and the world through innovation entrepreneurship and invention.
Since 2012, Toyota has partnered with Tina Brown Media and Women in the World to honor the Mothers of Invention and the work they are doing to positively affect the lives of others.
The Mothers of Invention are chosen from the Women of the World Salon Series’ surrounding regions and recognized at the respective events.
www.dreamwakers.org
http://paidpost.nytimes.com/toyota/mothers-of-invention-presented-by-women-in-the-world.html?_r=0#DreamWakers
(Published @poshsevenmagazine. http://www.poshseven.com/millennial-stories-mothers-of-invention-dreamwakers.html)
Cecilia Mencia is founder of DCTrending.com and an independent, DC-based journalist.