Observed annually on October 11, International Day of the Girl Child celebrates girls around the world. Through Solve for Tomorrow and Samsung Innovation Campus (SIC), Samsung Electronics helps young women pursue STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) careers and empowers them to strengthen their communities.
Ahead of this year’s International Day of the Girl Child, Samsung Newsroom highlights the impact of these programs and spotlights young women forging meaningful careers in technology.
India: From Beginner to Hackathon Winner
Growing up in Bangalore, Vaishnavi Kambar had no exposure to coding and never imagined joining a hackathon. After developing her skills at SIC and gaining experience as an intern, she went on to win HackToFuture 3.0. How does someone go from knowing little about programming to claiming victory so quickly? For Kambar, the answer wasn’t a single breakthrough but steady support and collaboration at SIC. There, she advanced her technical abilities and gained the confidence to perform at a high level.
Early in the program, Kambar worried her mentor might grow frustrated with her questions. Instead, she found patience and guidance. She credits this empathy as the foundation that encouraged her to keep learning and to speak up when in doubt.
For Kambar, SIC was a turning point. She learned to present ideas, work in teams and solve problems under pressure — experiences that reshaped how she sees herself. Now, she urges other young women interested in technology or innovation to approach the journey with courage and an open mind.
“Just take the plunge, even if you feel like you don’t belong. I started with no coding knowledge and a biology background,” said Kambar. “At times I felt like an outsider, but I kept going, one step at a time. Each time I pushed through the fear, I grew stronger.”
Armenia: From Learner to Leader
In Armenia, Hasmik Kettsyan discovered SIC as a place to grow. Although she already had coding experience, she often felt isolated in tech settings as the only girl in the room. At SIC, encouragement and trust created an environment where she could apply coding theory to real-world problems — a key step in finding purpose in her work.
“Different perspectives lead to better solutions, and the field gets stronger when more people are involved,” said Kettsyan, now a tech professional who encourages more young women to enter the field. “Find people who support you and keep pushing yourself. Your ideas matter more than you might realize.”
Inspired by her time at SIC, Kettsyan is now paying it forward. Soon after completing the program, she organized a technology summer camp for younger students in her community and began writing a book on innovation that she hopes to publish. For her, inspiring others has become one of the most rewarding parts of the SIC experience — and it continues to drive her to give back.
China: Learning Through Challenge
Ziyun Xu, a recent graduate of New York University Shanghai, is headed to Yale University to pursue her dream of protecting the environment. As a high school freshman in 2019, she wasn’t sure how to begin research. That changed when she joined Samsung Solve for Tomorrow, where she quickly learned the rigors of the process and advanced rapidly as a young scientist.
At one point, Xu revised her project seven times in just three days — each requiring a complete rethink of her approach — while also reviewing 280 sources to strengthen her paper. The experience laid the foundation for more advanced work that later took her research beyond the lab.
In Guangxi, Xu and her teammates worked in the countryside to design better-ventilated cattle sheds for local families, improve silage feed and use fermented cow dung to raise earthworms. Although farmers were initially skeptical, they grew to appreciate the team’s efforts. “The owner of the cattle farm sincerely thanked us for everything we had done,” she recalled.
Xu credits Solve for Tomorrow as the stepping stone to her dream, providing girls an outlet to explore science while serving their communities. She has since carried that spirit forward — mentoring younger students and presenting her findings at global conferences. “Every girl should believe that an idea from her youth might change some corner of the world,” she said.
Germany: Expanding Opportunities for Girls in STEM Around the World
For girls interested in STEM careers worldwide, Solve for Tomorrow and SIC have built a legacy of empowerment and community impact. As a global leader in youth education, Samsung also runs initiatives such as Girls’DAI. At the April 2025 event hosted by Samsung Electronics Germany, 36 girls toured the Samsung Space at the company’s headquarters in Eschborn — exploring three levels of AI technology, experiencing Galaxy AI firsthand and learning about responsible and creative uses of AI.
“Our Girls’DAI has shown how much potential lies in the next generation — bold questions, creative ideas and an open view of technology. Anyone who wants to shape AI needs these perspectives,” said Katharina Strohmeier, Project Manager of Corporate Citizenship at Samsung Electronics Germany. “Girls bring these perspectives, and that makes the future smarter, fairer and more diverse.”
Whether by supporting girls to become accomplished researchers or by offering hands-on exposure to the latest technology, Samsung is committed to opening educational opportunities for the next generation worldwide.
Learn more about Samsung’s CSR initiatives in the links below.
Samsung Solve for Tomorrow is a global STEM competition that empowers students to develop creative, real-world solutions to community challenges while building skills, confidence and connections that prepare them to lead and inspire change.
Samsung Innovation Campus is a global education program that equips youth — including underrepresented groups — with advanced IT skills in areas like AI, big data and IoT, along with hands-on training and mentorship to pursue careers, startups and social impact in the digital era.