December 2025 | Vol 30

Message from the President... 

Please click on the video link below or visit GlobalWE's YouTube channel to view GlobalWE President Barbara Barreno-Paschall's message. 

Congratulations and welcome to our new Board Members, Anika, Roopal, and Cami!

Anika Gray is an attorney-at-law and former director of the Gender Equity Initiative at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. She has a rich array of development and legal experience spanning the public and private sectors in the U.S. and the Caribbean. Anika worked for the World Bank Group in Washington DC, advising private sector clients on the business case for investing in gender and with the UN and the Inter-American Development Bank, developing programs to improve women’s economic empowerment and prevent and respond to gender-based violence. We welcome her as the new Board Secretary.

Roopal Thaker is a highly experienced non-profit leader with experience across East Africa and North America. A longtime Harvard volunteer, Roopal is currently on the board of the Harvard Alumni Association and the Harvard Kennedy School Alumni Association. She is a former board member of the Harvard Club of Kenya. She has also been a Harvard GlobalWE essay contest reviewer since 2020 and a volunteer with the Programs team since June 2025. Roopal is excited to bring her skills and networks to the Programs portfolio as the new Chair of Programs.

Originally hailing from Southern California, Cami Tchoi is a software consultant, specializing in enterprise learning management systems. She first learned of GlobalWE at a Harvard Club of Chicago event, volunteered as a reader for the essay contest, and has been assisting with back-end operations of the Essay Contest for almost a year. Being involved with GlobalWE has been eye-opening and inspiring. Cami completes our team as the new Essay Contest Chair.

GlobalWE Holiday Social 2025
December 19, 2025, 8 pm ET and December 20, 2025, 11 am  ET
(Virtual via Zoom)

Join fellow members and friends and celebrate the holidays together, with two time slots available on December 19th and December 20th!

GlobalWE's holiday socials are online, one-hour events that are casual, laid back, and fun! Attendees are encouraged to wear their holiday best and bring a drink of their choosing. We will start off in a large group to reflect on 2025, followed by small group breakouts for an opportunity to network and connect deeper with other GlobalWE members. We will conclude by reconvening as a larger group to wish everyone happy holidays and a prosperous new year!

Date: Friday, December 19th, 2025
Time: 8 pm - 9 pm ET
Location: via Zoom

Date: Saturday, December 20th, 2025
Time: 11 am - 12 pm ET
Location: via Zoom

Harvard Alumni Summit Middle East and Africa 
January 16-18, 2026
In person: Giza, Egypt

Harvard GlobalWE is proud to co-sponsor an alumni-led convening at the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, Egypt. The Summit will take place over three days and feature expert speakers and fellow alumni from across the world.

All alumni are welcome. Registration is now open, and tickets for the conference and side excursions are available here.

Date: January 16 - 18, 2026
Location: Giza, Egypt

January: Discussion Circle on Global Aid Cuts and the Impact on Women and Girls, Advancing Women's Empowerment
We are excited to announce that we will be hosting a virtual Discussion Circle in January focused on the global impact of recent foreign aid cuts, with a particular lens on women and vulnerable communities. This Discussion Circle will feature expert speakers and will be intentionally grounded in data, research, and real-world impacts, creating space for informed understanding rather than opinion-based debate. Registration details will be available soon.  

February: Movie Club
Join us in February for a movie discussion. More details are coming soon.

March: Insights from a decade of Harvard GlobalWE's Essay Contest
Harvard GlobalWE is proud to present data and analysis from ten years of student essays from around the globe. Watch this space for more details. 

April: 2026 Hybrid Women’s Empowerment Expo
We are pleased to inform you about the upcoming 2026 Harvard Alumni for Global Women’s Empowerment Connect Women’s Empowerment Expo. The hybrid gathering will take place over two weekends in April, both in-person and virtually. This year’s Expo will bring together organizations and leaders from around the world, including global leaders, artists, educators, and scientists committed to learning, meaningful connection, and leading collective action for positive change. We look forward to highlighting participating organizations and sharing more details in the weeks ahead.

We are delighted to announce our latest initiative: the official Harvard Alumni for GlobalWE WhatsApp Group, a dedicated space to stay informed and connected in real-time with our global community.

Through this group, you will receive:

• Event announcements and registration links
• Program and volunteer opportunities
• Key highlights and resources from our global network

This will be an announcement-only group, where GlobalWE Admins share updates to ensure concise, relevant communication for members worldwide. Be on the lookout for the official invite.

If you have any questions, please contact info@hglobalwe.org

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