Boldly You: A Story about Discovering What You’’re Capable of When You Show Up for Yourself

Janet T. Phan is the Founder and Executive Director of Thriving Elements, a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to helping underrepresented girls with long-term mentorship in the STEM (Science, Technology, Mathematics, & Engineering) field. Mentorship has been a big factor in Janet’s success. She has been lucky enough to have worked under the tutelage of several key technology mentors who have helped shape her into the person she is today.

Janet is also the EMEA (Europe-Middle East-Africa) Technology Program Leader for PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers) responsible for rolling out one of PwC’s key global digital transformation programs. At PwC, Janet works with teams around the world to drive executive level technology initiatives and systems improvements for Fortune 500 companies. Her passion is using her technology skills to make an impact in society. In 2011, she received the Rising Star Award from the Women of Color in Technology with The Boeing Company. In 2012, she accepted the ComputerWorld Laureate Award on behalf of the Boeing Company presented by the CIO of the President of the United States for her work with American Cancer Society (more details later). In 2017, she was recognised in Washington State as Women on the Rise - Discovering You.

Today, Thriving Elements serves 49 girls. The average household income of the mentees is ＄30,000-＄40,000 for a family of four in the US. Before Thriving Elements, some mentees considered working after graduating from high school to support their family and because college was not affordable. However, with the encouragement of our mentors, 90% of the mentees are at a 4-year university, 10% at a community college pursuing a STEM degree with financial support from government funding and private/public scholarships.