Financial Strategy, Accessibility, and Purpose-Driven Innovation

“I came to learn. I left with a purpose I cannot put down.”

That is the sentence that best describes my experience during the International Women’s Day 2025: Enriching Women’s Path program. What began as a learning opportunity quickly became a transformative experience after being surrounded by women who were intentional, innovative, and deeply committed to creating meaningful change.

As part of the team that won second place, we developed ComfortCheck, a solar-charged, handheld breast health monitoring device designed to support women in rural and underserved communities with limited access to early breast cancer screening. More than simply creating a project, our goal was to design a solution that could realistically reach and support women often left behind by existing healthcare systems.

Serving as the team’s Financial Lead, I focused on ensuring our concept remained practical, affordable, and sustainable beyond the competition itself. The experience taught me that impactful innovation is not only about ideas, but about making thoughtful decisions that keep solutions accessible to the people who need them most. More importantly, it deepened my understanding of building with empathy, purpose, and real-world impact at the center of innovation.