With the national Saudi Vision 2030, led by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, in full swing, the country has been experiencing ground-breaking and historic reforms. One of the pillars of the vision is targeted towards women’s rights, their roles in the job industries, and an overall enhancement of their lives.
Since the changes have been in conversation and implementation, we have witnessed many Saudi women excelling in their fields all while inspiring the masses. In honour of that, AboutHer released a power list highlighting the top 20 women under 30 years of age. The list was consolidated by prominent names like Sarah Ayed bent Mohammed Al Ayed, Sofana Dahlan, Dr. Malak Al Thagafi, and Dr. Nadia Baeshen.
Needless to say, they continue to inspire us. Here’s how some of them welcomed being on the Top 20 Under 30 list:
Amani Alshalan
شرف وجودنا في قائمة ٢٠ سيدة سعودية رائدة - دايما اشعر بالمسؤولية .. وهذه القيمة شكرا لجنة تحكيم about herhttps://t.co/q4uyxDTB9P
— أماني الشعلان (@alshalanamani) 17 août 2018
Alshalan is the founder of the Saudi Khair Initiative, which aims at providing help for those in need and was launched in memory of her late mother. Following its establishment, the initiative quickly developed to include an online application, providing easier access to anyone who wanted to make a charitable donation by allowing them to simply register and make the number of donations they choose. The site also allows for those in need to ask for help. Alshalan was granted the Prince Mohammed bin Fahd Award for ‘Young Female Leader – Community Development’ due to Khair’s facilitation of linking donations to those in need in a more direct and innovative way.
Nadia Dandachi
Top 20 under 30! thank you @AboutHerOFCL for the amazing feature! pic.twitter.com/Ep42sI4Tww
— Dr. Nadia Dandachi (@NadiaNiddy) 16 août 2018
Dr. Dandachi studied medicine at King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah and is also a pianist by passion. Through her love for music, she has acquired several local and international awards to date, including first place at an International Piano Competition, and the Islamic Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) Award in 2016. As a child, Dr. Dandachi played a number of recitals and later learned how to play both Arabic and foreign pieces just by listening, going on to participate in several national events. As part of her most memorable performances, Dr. Dandachi has played a special piece of music, which she dedicated to Syrians, expressing empathy for their suffering and the destruction of their country.
Shahad Nagro
Top 20 under 30! Proud to be amongst those super great young ladies Thank you @aboutherofficial for featuring saudi women, blessed to be in your list #انجازات_العشرين #الحمدلله_دائما_وابدا pic.twitter.com/1bl9xXchwd
— شهد ناقرو (@ShahadNagro) 22 août 2018
Nagro is the first Saudi woman to hold an ICF Certified Coach in Performance Development qualification from Gallup International. She is amongst the first batch of Saudi students who graduated in coaching and received their license from the Canadian Erickson organization. Through her work in the field of innovation and business development at Tam Development LLC, she managed to design more than 20 concepts for national and regional programs aimed at the empowerment of communities and skill development for the youth, including the Israr Award, Qumra Program, and Makers of Hope. Nagro has represented Saudi Arabia on a number of international platforms including the G20 summit, the International Conference on Youth Volunteering and Dialogue, and the Japanese Peace Boat.
Tala Abolnaja
What an honor!!! @AboutHerOFCL pic.twitter.com/KdXiv8qKSt
— TALAH F. ABUALNAJA (@TAbualnaja) 17 août 2018
Abolnaja, a Saudi student in Dhahran, made headlines across the country after creating a project that landed her the world-renowned Intel ISEF (International Science and Engineering Fair) Award. Her project, “Improving Communication for the Visually Impaired through an Innovative Arabic Writing System,” propelled her to the third place in the Behavioural and Social Sciences Category. Abolnaja’s project was also recognized with a special award from the American Psychology Association.
Emon Abdul Shakoor
Honored to be top 20 under 30 trailblazers! https://t.co/kmba7Dpk86
— emonshakoor ايمان عبد الشكور (@emonshakoor) 17 août 2018
Abdul Shakoor is the Vice President of XS Conferences, a company that works on organizing specialized conferences and exhibitions, and she is the founder of EventFen, a mobile application that allows users to locate social and professional events in Saudi Arabia. Abdul Shakoor is a Cognitive Science graduate from UC San Diego, where she worked as a field researcher at the university's laboratories. Prior to her current role, Abdul Shakoor worked as a research associate at Pfizer where she participated with 50 other members to offer inspiring experiences for entrepreneurs during the International Davos Economic Forum.
Waad Al Dousari
Thank you for choosing me @AboutHerOFCL https://t.co/HGveiJkjN1
— وعد المدعج (@Waadalmadaaj) 17 août 2018
Al-Dousari is a member of Prince Mohammad bin Fahd’s Youth Leadership Centre and has represented Saudi Arabia in many countries within youth-related domains. At the young age of 13, she attended the Shura Council sessions and received 20 certificates for her leadership skills alone. She is currently a law student at Prince Mohammad bin Fahd University.
Samah Hashim Kamel
@AboutHerOFCL it's an honor to be one of them ♡ pic.twitter.com/TDXFcUKLUP
— Samah Hashim Kamil (@artist_soosa) 17 août 2018
Kamel is a professional mangaka (Japanese for “manga artist”) who has participated in several art exhibitions and competitions in Saudi Arabia, as well as internationally, including the MEFCC Comic Con contest held in Dubai (in 2014 and 2016) and the manga and anime exhibition (held in 2016) at Al-Khayat Gallery under the title "I Am Art.” Kamel has also produced a short comic story, "Sweet Without Sugar," a campaign launched by Sayidaty Magazine in 2015. She earned her master’s degree from the College of Art and Design at King Abdul Aziz University with a thesis entitled "How to Use Manga Art to Represent the Kingdom's Culture through its Proverbs.” Kamel also holds a bachelor’s degree in Islamic Arts from Home Economics College at King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah.
Farah Arif
Honored to be on the list https://t.co/x1Z4Y4NFVE
— Farah Arif (@Farah_Arif) 15 août 2018
Arif is a Saudi animator who today has a strong presence in the world of animation in the Kingdom. She participated in the Ramadan Quiz on Saudi television’s first channel and has from a young age covered national festivals and occasions for television including Janadriyah Festivals. Arif studied Computer Science but her passion took her to the world of animation where she has continued to develop her passion using specialized programs and without any assistance. Google has chosen Arif as their student ambassador for the Middle East. Her animation, "Abtal Awal," has won the "most voted for" award for iBroadcast competition held by King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture.
Kadi Al-Dwaihi
فخورة بان اكون ضمن قائمة "عشرين سيدة سعودية رائدة وملهمه تحت سن 30 سنه" اشكر لجنة التحكيم على اختياري وهذا يدفعني للجد والاجتهاد لتحقيق المزيد من الانجازات لأخدم ديني ووطني
— Kadi (@dr_Kadi_abd) 19 août 2018
واسأل الله ان يوفقني لما يحب ويرضى https://t.co/q6i37eHovv
Before reaching 10 years of age, Al-Dwaihi has already left her mark at the Misk Global Forum with her invention: a pen that emits light to locate broken bones when it is passed over the body. She has spoken about her innovation during an interactive discussion at the Youth Development in 2030 Agenda, received a gold medal in 2016 for her pen at Itex (Imaging & Technology Education Exposition) held in Malaysia, and took home the silver medal at Kiwi 2016, which was held in South Korea.
Hanadi Al-Qahtani
فخورة بكوني اخترت من قبل د.ملاك@MalakAbed وسارة @Sarah_AlAyed وسفانة@SofanaDahlanود.ناديه باعشن ان اكون ضمن قائمة عشرين سيدة سعودية رائدة تحت سن الـ٣٠ لموقع about her فَ اللهم لك الحمد ولك الشكر. pic.twitter.com/jkGx0ZQ0ua
— هنادي القحطاني Hanadi AlQahtani(@hanadiaalmansor) 19 août 2018
Currently a banking student, Al-Qahtani is better known as an award-winning Saudi inventor. She is the mastermind behind an intelligent and interactive device designed to protect children and properties from theft and destruction. Al-Qahtani invention, which accurately identifies a thief or kidnapper, has already received several awards in local and international exhibitions. Her most recent honor was at the Korea International Women’s Invention Exposition (KIWIE), where she took home the gold medal. Amongst her most recent accolades are a gold medal during an exhibition in China, a silver in Taiwan, and the title of Best Inventor at an exhibition organized by Imam Mohammad Ibn Saudi Islamic University.
