The power of choice to unlock your destiny | Dr. Cheryl Cooper | TEDxBazeUniversity

Key Concepts:

• Power of Choice: The ability to shape one's destiny through decisions.
• Being Seen: Recognizing and embracing one's worth and value.
• Amplifying Voices: Elevating and supporting the voices of women, especially women of color.
• Igniting Change: Being a catalyst for progress and creating opportunities for others.
• Colorism: Discrimination based on skin tone, often within the same racial group.
• Underrepresentation: The insufficient presence of women, particularly women of color, in STEM fields.
• Imposter Syndrome: The feeling of inadequacy despite evidence of success.

1. Embracing Power and Being Seen:

• The speaker emphasizes that external validation is not necessary to determine one's worth.
• Personal anecdote about feeling invisible at a young age due to colorism during an Easter celebration.
• The speaker highlights the importance of self-belief and recognizing one's own value before seeking external approval.
• "Nobody gets to determine our worth."
• "No one gives me permission to be great."
• The speaker encourages women to speak their voice in rooms where it is needed.

2. Amplifying Women's Voices:

• Colorism is defined and its historical context is explained using the "brown paper bag test" as an example.
• The speaker shares her personal experience of not passing the brown paper bag test.
• Colorism is presented as a global issue that leads to the invisibility of women of color.
• A 2024 study is cited, revealing that 51% of women from the US, UK, Australia, Canada, and Africa have experienced racism at work, with darker-skinned women facing more significant challenges.
• The speaker argues that ignoring women's voices hinders innovation in cybersecurity, technology, and AI.
• "There's no such thing as the voiceless woman. It is only those who refuse to hear us or those who attempt to silence us."
• The speaker urges women to find their stages, platforms, and take the mic to tell their stories.
• The speaker encourages women to rise above lack of confidence and impostor syndrome to lead conversations.

3. Igniting Change:

• The speaker emphasizes the importance of being a spark for change and creating opportunities for others.
• The speaker shares her experience of creating a women's cybersecurity organization to mentor young black and brown girls in underserved neighborhoods.
• The speaker recounts her experience of presenting a proposal to the board of education to roll out cybersecurity into the high school curriculum, where half the board walked out on her.
• The speaker shares how she partnered with a $15 million cybersecurity company to bring inner-city girls to their company for field trips.
• The speaker describes the positive impact of these field trips on the girls and the company employees.
• The speaker highlights the importance of visible leadership and creating opportunities for girls to see themselves in the tech space.

4. The Power of Choice:

• The speaker shares a personal story about being given a Hershey candy bar laced with acid at 15 years old, leading to months of hallucinations.
• The speaker emphasizes that even in that moment, she knew she had a choice to either continue down that path or find her way back.
• The speaker highlights the power of choice in shaping one's destiny.
• The speaker suggests that barriers in life may be due to hesitation in making choices that will change the situation.
• The speaker emphasizes that every individual has a choice between stimulus and response, and that choice determines their future.
• The speaker encourages the audience to make a choice to shape the future and claim their power.
• "What if the barriers that we're facing in life is not due to the system but our own hesitation to make the choice that will change it."

5. Statistics on Women in STEM:

• Women in the United States represent about 24% of the cybersecurity profession (ISC Square report).
• Women in technology careers in Africa represent about 30%.
• Across all STEM careers in 146 nations, women are represented at 29%.
• In artificial intelligence, women are represented at 24%.

Synthesis/Conclusion:

The speaker's central argument revolves around the power of choice and the importance of women, particularly women of color, taking control of their destinies in the cybersecurity and technology fields. The four keys – embracing power and being seen, amplifying voices, igniting change, and leveraging the power of choice – provide a framework for women to overcome systemic barriers and create a more inclusive and equitable industry. The speaker uses personal anecdotes, statistical data, and actionable strategies to inspire and empower women to claim their voice, power, and future in technology.