From Corporate to Community: Our Founder, Adamaka Ajaelo on STEM, AI & Equity

When Adamaka Ajaelo left a successful corporate career in labor analytics and workforce planning, she carried with her the tools of problem-solving, pattern recognition, and precision. Instead of keeping those skills in boardrooms, she chose to pour them into Self-eSTEM; an organization dedicated to igniting pride, purpose, and possibility in girls and women of color in STEM.

“Workforce development is not enough. How can I give back?” Adamaka asked herself. The answer was Self-eSTEM.

In her interview on Becoming Big Mama , Adamaka emphasized the urgency of equipping young women for the AI-driven future of work. She explained that while many assume young people are “digital natives,” real gaps in digital literacy remain.

“When we put girls in front of a laptop, you’d be surprised, many don’t have the skills to type, navigate, or use productivity tools like Google Docs,” she shared. Self-eSTEM bridges that gap, ensuring participants move from using technology to creating and owning it.

For her, investing in community is the smartest innovation of all. “Now is the time to build our own systems, to patent our ideas, to protect our frameworks,” she said. “Ownership is key.

Tune in to this podcast episode here:

Join The Movement 

At Self-eSTEM, we believe in empowering the next generation of Women to succeed in STEM. 

Visit www.selfestem.org to learn how you can contribute through donations, volunteer opportunities, and mentorship.Together, we can create a future where every young woman has the opportunity to thrive in STEM.

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