KPMG Future Leader Spotlight – Women’s History Month

As Women’s History Month comes to a close, KPMG is proud to spotlight a few members of the KPMG Future Leaders Program that are on their way to writing their own chapters in the history book, learning more about the incredible work they’re doing and hearing their thoughts on the meaning of Women’s History Month.

Sumaya Mohamed | Sophomore, University of Washington

Sumaya is hard at work in pursuit of a finance degree from the University of Washington, but it’s her work outside of the classroom that’s making an incredible impact for her local community in Seattle. She’s a member of Sawhorse Revolution, a non-profit that teaches students how to utilize the space around them through architecture, and has helped design a space that effectively secured Seattle’s Nickelsville homeless encampment. She also serves as at her local mosque, teaching young students how to read and write in Arabic. Simply put, Sumaya is on a mission to make a difference, and wants to be an inspiration for women with a similar desire to serve.  

“Women’s history month is acknowledging women’s success and achievements. Author Ann Powers once said, “To be Feminist is to value the experience and potential of women”. Women’s rights have come such a long way in such a short time. Dedicating a month to women is valuing our history and encouraging our future. By focusing on remarkable women who have positively impacted communities, we celebrate and promote their achievements.”

Jessica Man | Senior, Boston University

After struggling to find design resources in pursuit of her mechanical engineering degree, Jessica co-founded FORGE Design Studios as a means to connect students who have an interest in design. Since its inception in 2019, FORGE has grown to 300+ members, connecting students with businesses across the U.S. through it’s internship and apprentice program and providing pro-bono design services for BIPOC-led small businesses and organizations. Jessica is proud of the impact that FORGE has made both on its members and their communities.

“Women's History Month reminds me to reflect on my experiences every year. Womanhood for me, and many others, is incredibly intersectional - My identity not only as a woman but as a first-generation, low-income, person of color has impacted my experiences significantly. This hyphenated identity has affected the way that I've been perceived in academic, industry, and social spaces, and I've oftentimes not known how to navigate different scenarios. Although no one person's experience is the same, the stories shared during Women's History Month remind me that I'm not alone in dealing with hardships, and also serve as a reminder that anything is possible.

Angelica Pelcastre | Junior, Yale University

From an early age, Angelica Pelcastre has been determined to pursue her passion for STEM. From attending summer camps to participating in STEM clubs both in and out of school, Angelica was exposed to a world of possibilities in STEM and was inspired by the women in STEM that blazed the trail on which she now walks. Now a junior at Yale in pursuit of a electrical engineering and computer science degree, Angelica is determined pay it forward, both with her time and finances, to young girls who share similar passions for STEM.

“Women's History Month means community. It means that there were, there are, and there will always be women who faced and conquered unjust barriers in their pursuits for more. However, they did not have to do so in vain. To acknowledge that women's role in history extends beyond that written down in textbooks, we are giving back a sliver of the energy and change they instilled into our society to get us moving towards a more just world.”