Raya Bidshahri

Raya Bidshahri (Persian: ريا بيدشهري‎) is an Iranian educator and entrepreneur, known for founding the online learning platform Awecademy. She was named one of the BBC's 100 Women for 2019.[1] Bidshahri has been described as a futurist.[2][3]

Bidshahri was born in Iran, but grew up in Dubai.[4] There, she was a co-founder of Cafe Scientifique Dubai and a founding member of SciFest Dubai.[3]

At age 19, she moved alone to the United States to study neuroscience at Boston University, where she also worked with startups like SheWorks! and co-founded a social media platform called Intelligent Optimism.[5][3] When US President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 13780 on March 6, 2017, limiting visas for immigrants from Iran, Bidshahri decided it was too risky to begin a startup in Silicon Valley as she had planned.[4][5][6][7] Instead, after she completed her B.S., she moved to Toronto, Canada in June 2017, and began Awecademy as a Canadian business.[4]

Bidshahri is a regular contributing journalist for the online publication Singularity Hub.[3]

Awecademy

Awecademy, founded in 2017,[4][3] is an online learning platform "with a mission to use education to improve the world"[1] by inspiring a sense of awe and wonder in learners.[8] Courses introduce high school students to ethical and philosophical concepts such as AI ethics, exponential technologies, futures studies, and mindfulness.[8] The modules are multidisciplinary, and emphasize formative assessment (rather than summative assessment) through collaborative real-life projects such as podcasts or videos.[3]

In 2019, Awecademy formed part of a major grant for Riverside City College in Riverside, California to support high school students in pursuing nursing degrees after graduation.[8] Awecademy also partnered with the Pacific Asia Travel Association in 2019.[9] That year, Bidshahri was named one of the BBC's "100 women" for her work as founder and CEO.[1]

References
  1. "BBC 100 Women 2019: Who is on the list this year?". BBC News. October 16, 2019. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  2. McCullough, Doug; Medina, Brooke (February 12, 2019). "Are you ready for the future of work?". The Washington Examiner. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  3. Roberts, Rohan (2018). Cosmic Citizens and Moonshot Thinking: Education in an Age of Exponential Technologies. AuthorHouse. ISBN 1546250395.
  4. "I was planning to start a business in Silicon Valley after graduation. Then Donald Trump happened". Toronto Life. October 25, 2017. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  5. Mascarenhas, Natasha (February 22, 2017). "Why This Student Entrepreneur Is Uprooting Her American Dream". BostInno. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  6. Thadani, Trisha; Fracassa, Dominic (February 2, 2017). "Trump order dashes hopes of would-be entrepreneurs". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  7. Lapowsky, Issie (June 19, 2017). "Trump's Policies Are Sending Precious Startup Jobs to Canada". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  8. "Riverside City College Received $1.67M Grant For STEM and Nursing Pathways". Inland Empire. September 25, 2019. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  9. "PATA and Awecademy sign organisational partnership". Pacific Asia Travel Association. June 5, 2019. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
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