Our Story
How it All Started
SHE-CAN began in an unlikely place - a beauty salon in Kigali, Rwanda. In 2006, our founder Barbara Bylenga was a successful marketing professional with 20+ years of experience helping companies sell their products to a young generation. But she found herself fired up to do more to build women’s leadership, and got involved on a volunteer trip to Rwanda to help small business owners. It was then that a beauty salon owner—a local woman with a smart teenage daughter—asked if Barbara would help get her daughter into college in the U.S. “Sure, I can try,” Barbara said—not knowing it was the beginning of a lifelong relationship with Malyse Uwase, whom Barbara helped get into Bucknell University, and who later earned a Master’s degree from Boston University.
Then something magical and prescient happened. Barbara’s friends - professional women in the U.S. - wanted what Barbara had. They were in awe of her friendship and her mentorship with this amazing young woman. They wanted a Malyse in their life.
SHE-CAN began in an unlikely place - a beauty salon in Kigali, Rwanda. In 2006, our founder Barbara Bylenga was a successful marketing professional with 20+ years of experience helping companies sell their products to a young generation. But she found herself fired up to do more to build women’s leadership, and got involved on a volunteer trip to Rwanda to help small business owners. It was then that a beauty salon owner—a local woman with a smart teenage daughter—asked if Barbara would help get her daughter into college in the U.S. “Sure, I can try,” Barbara said—not knowing it was the beginning of a lifelong relationship with Malyse Uwase, whom Barbara helped get into Bucknell University, and who later earned a Master’s degree from Boston University.
Then something magical and prescient happened. Barbara’s friends - professional women in the U.S. - wanted what Barbara had. They were in awe of her friendship and her mentorship with this amazing young woman. They wanted a Malyse in their life.
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Forming the Organization
The seed was planted: Barbara closed her market research consultancy and created SHE-CAN by returning to Rwanda and selecting the first class of seven candidates. Each was provided SAT and TOEFL support, and matched with one mentor. Four of the seven won full scholarships that year, which provided Barbara the proof needed to convince donors that the concept could work. She returned to Kigali each year to recruit another class, and in 2015 expanded into Cambodia, and in 2019 Liberia.
Forming the Mentor Network
In 2014, after a few years of experience, Barbara’s team rethought the mentor program — instead of one mentor each scholar would be matched with a team of 5. SHE-CAN now boasts 332 mentors. SHE-CAN mentors are successful women and men thriving in positions of leadership including: CEO of Watermark, Founder and CEO of Andalou Naturals, CEO of Torani Syrup, former CMO of Intuit, former CIO at First Republic Bank, Global Director of Engineering at Hitachi GST, and several Directors and Managers at companies such as Apple, Google, and Netflix, among many others. In addition to imbuing their mentees with their hard-earned wisdom, they open up their hearts, homes, families and extensive networks to their scholars — and not surprisingly, lifelong bonds are formed.
The seed was planted: Barbara closed her market research consultancy and created SHE-CAN by returning to Rwanda and selecting the first class of seven candidates. Each was provided SAT and TOEFL support, and matched with one mentor. Four of the seven won full scholarships that year, which provided Barbara the proof needed to convince donors that the concept could work. She returned to Kigali each year to recruit another class, and in 2015 expanded into Cambodia, and in 2019 Liberia.
Forming the Mentor Network
In 2014, after a few years of experience, Barbara’s team rethought the mentor program — instead of one mentor each scholar would be matched with a team of 5. SHE-CAN now boasts 332 mentors. SHE-CAN mentors are successful women and men thriving in positions of leadership including: CEO of Watermark, Founder and CEO of Andalou Naturals, CEO of Torani Syrup, former CMO of Intuit, former CIO at First Republic Bank, Global Director of Engineering at Hitachi GST, and several Directors and Managers at companies such as Apple, Google, and Netflix, among many others. In addition to imbuing their mentees with their hard-earned wisdom, they open up their hearts, homes, families and extensive networks to their scholars — and not surprisingly, lifelong bonds are formed.
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Forming the SHE-CAN Scholarship Coalition
Bucknell was the first school to recognize the value of supporting a SHE-CAN scholar. Since then, 27 schools have supported SHE-CAN scholars with full-ride scholarships. In 2015, Barbara and her team began to ask the schools that accepted multiple scholars to make a commitment to support a SHE-CAN scholar in advance of the Regular Decision process. Lafayette, Muhlenberg and Bucknell signed on immediately. Since then, the SHE-CAN Scholarship Coalition has grown to 13 schools. Now, when we accept a young woman in the program, we have assurance that she will be placed at one of our 13 coalition schools.
Our Success
Since 2011, SHE-CAN has grown in influence and scale. A total of 66 low-income women have won full-ride scholarships totaling $18M in scholarship funds being directed at low-income women’s tertiary education. Our 27 graduates are emerging leaders in their fields. We are not stopping here. We are expanding into Guatemala in 2020-21, with plans to expand to a fifth country by 2025.
Bucknell was the first school to recognize the value of supporting a SHE-CAN scholar. Since then, 27 schools have supported SHE-CAN scholars with full-ride scholarships. In 2015, Barbara and her team began to ask the schools that accepted multiple scholars to make a commitment to support a SHE-CAN scholar in advance of the Regular Decision process. Lafayette, Muhlenberg and Bucknell signed on immediately. Since then, the SHE-CAN Scholarship Coalition has grown to 13 schools. Now, when we accept a young woman in the program, we have assurance that she will be placed at one of our 13 coalition schools.
Our Success
Since 2011, SHE-CAN has grown in influence and scale. A total of 66 low-income women have won full-ride scholarships totaling $18M in scholarship funds being directed at low-income women’s tertiary education. Our 27 graduates are emerging leaders in their fields. We are not stopping here. We are expanding into Guatemala in 2020-21, with plans to expand to a fifth country by 2025.