VAISHNAVI JAISWAL
INDIA, 16
She/Her
Project: Salubrious
Vaishnavi realized her love for coding in high school, but was afraid to even dream it could be her career. She had very few female role models in tech and was one of few girls in her school’s computer science classes. Vaishnavi decided to inspire the countless other girls in India who lacked the support, resources, and mentors to chase their aspirations. In July 2020, she created Salubrious, initially a blog where Vaishnavi interviewed and featured women in STEM fields. Vaishnavi realized she wanted to reach girls interested in any male-dominated field, so she expanded the mission of Salubrious to encourage all women to explore their potential and pursue their dreams. They offer educational courses, vocational training, job opportunities and workshops on a range of topics including financial literacy, technology skills, mental health and career guidance. The annual Salubrious LeadHERship Summit connects like-minded women to each other, providing a community for networking and support. With 8 global chapters, Salubrious has provided resources, mentorship and opportunities to 50,000+ girls in 45+ countries. Their curriculum designed to teach advocacy skills to women from diverse backgrounds has been adopted by 46 schools in India, Kenya, Canada and the United Arab Emirates. In April 2022, Vaishnavi was selected for a FEELL Changemaker Fellowship, India’s first leadership program for young future leaders. Her goal is equality for girls to succeed in male-dominated fields, which starts with equal access to a quality, holistic education.