I was 2 when my parents discovered I had polio, which impacted my ability to stand and walk. Growing up in China, I still remember the challenges I faced when I wanted to go to college. Back then, all potential candidates had to pass a physical test, which posed a challenge. Knowing this, my parents, my teachers and even the local government advocated for me. Thanks to their support, I was granted an exception to attend college, where I graduated with a degree in computer science.When I joined Google in Shanghai in 2011, the real estate team was working to open a new office space. I was part of the planning process to ensure we designed an inclusive workspace, especially for individuals with physical disabilities. When I discovered the desks at the office were too high, or if the meeting space was not designed wide enough for someone in a wheelchair to enter, I worked with the team to solve the problem. I also suggested building wheelchair-accessible restrooms when they were not available on the floor I was working on.These experiences showed me everyone has the voice to drive change — including myself. I decided to co-lead our Disability Alliance (DA), one of Google’s resource groups in China, with other passionate Googlers. We wanted to create a space to help address challenges Googlers with disabilities face, and build allyship among the wider Google community. We also wanted to create a platform to increase awareness of different forms of disabilities. For example, some people don't think about invisible disabilities, but it's equally important to build awareness of disabilities you might not immediately see. I'm incredibly excited to see how we continue to grow our community in the coming year across China.Having a disability doesn't limit me, and I've been fortunate to be surrounded by people who value my abilities instead of my disability. Over the years, I've achieved my goals and dreams from leading an incredible team of 50 at Google, taking on physical activities such as skiing and marathons, and driving change for the broader disability community.I was ready to compete in a marathon in China back in 2021As we commemorate Global Accessibility Awareness Day, I also spoke to Sakiko, a fellow member of our Disability Alliance chapter in Japan, to learn more about what drives her, and why it’s important that we provide equal opportunities for all.Sharing my personal experience at an external event. I’m seated at the extreme right in a gray sweater.Tell us more about yourself. What keeps you going at Google after more than nine years?I was born with spina bifida, and I move around with crutches. I’ve always wanted to work in sales, but when I was job hunting, I was turned down by several companies because of my disabilities. I knew I had the ability and knowledge to sell, and I enjoy interacting with people, so I didn’t give up. When I interviewed at Google, the interviewers focused on my potential and abilities, and not my disability. That surprised me, because I’ve never experienced that. I recalled asking one of my interviewers if my disability would impede this opportunity, but he said, “if you have the ability to sell, it shouldn’t stop you from doing that.” It was amazing and encouraging to hear that. I currently work in the Google Ads team and have experienced various roles. When my clients shared how grateful and thankful they are for my dedicated support, that really keeps me going.What is a memorable experience you’ve had with the Disability Alliance?I once hosted a workshop where we invited students with disabilities to have hands-on experience coding their own web application, giving them the confidence to pursue their interest in engineering. At the end of the event, several parents shared that they didn’t know their children had the potential to code and create applications all by themselves. I still remember this day vividly, because it demonstrates everyone has the chance to shine when they are given the right opportunities to learn and develop new skills.

WIT Board Member, Monika Mueller, lands a new position at Softensity Inc! Join us in congratulation WIT Board Member, Monika Mueller on her new position as Executive Vice President of Consulting Services & Head of Latin America at Softensity Inc!

The following is adapted from remarks delivered by Royal Hansen, Vice President of Engineering for Privacy, Safety and Security during his keynote United in Cyberpower: The Role of Companies in Building a Cybersecure World at Cybersec Europe 2022 in Katowice, Poland.I believe cybersecurity is one of the top issues facing the world today and I’d like to share a bit about why it’s so important for companies, countries, and communities of all sizes to work together.This is particularly true right here in Central and Eastern Europe where the Russian invasion of Ukraine has brought these issues into sharp focus. I’m honored to be here today and to get to meet with so many of you who are working on this day in and day out.As governments in this region and elsewhere in the world tackle this issue we want to ensure we are doing everything we can to support those efforts. Google’s mission has always been about organizing the world's information and making it universally accessible and useful. The work we’re doing to ensure people can get access to quality information–and do so safely–has never been more important than it is today.Securing users in Ukraine and the broader regionAs the Russian invasion of Ukraine unfolded, Google mobilized to help the people of Ukraine and protect the security of our users and services – an area where we are uniquely positioned to help in this conflict.We have our own specialized teams dedicated to identifying, tracking, and countering threats from government-backed actors.Russia-backed hacking and influence operations are not new to us; we’ve been tracking and taking action against them for years. To put this into perspective, we’ve seen and worked to disrupt Russian operations targeting the U.S. elections in 2016 and 2017 and campaigns targeting the 2018 Olympic games. In October, we blocked a Russian campaign targeting 14,000 Google users.And we’ve seen first hand the targeting of Ukraine by Russia. It has been ongoing for years with both espionage and occasional cyber attacks tracked by our teams. As the war intensified, we also saw Russian threat actors shift focus to targets elsewhere in Eastern Europe.Our Threat Analysis Group (TAG), regularly publishes details on campaigns it detects, and disrupts these efforts to help governments and private sector companies better defend their systems.We’ve seen threat actors beyond Russia shift their focus and targeting, including a growing number of threat actors using the war as a lure in phishing and malware campaigns. This includes government-backed actors from China, Iran, North Korea, Belarus and financially-motivated, criminal actors using current events as a means for targeting users.For example, we’ve seen one cyber crime group impersonating military personnel to extort money for rescuing relatives in Ukraine.In addition to disrupting threats, we are doing everything we can to increase protections for high risk users and organizations in Ukraine. We’ve redoubled our efforts to offer free tools to help – including protecting hundreds of high risk users on the ground with our Advanced Protection Program, and expanding eligibility of Project Shield to include the Ukraine government. Shield is currently protecting over 200 websites in Ukraine from distributed denial of service attacks.It is in this spirit of action that we are expanding our partnerships and investment in the broader region on cybersecurity.In fact, this week a delegation of our top security engineers and leaders are on the ground across Eastern Europe to provide hands-on training to high risk groups, deliver security keys and support local businesses as they look to improve their security posture.To share what we know about the threat, we are engaging in technical exchanges with governments in the region.We’re providing free tools and expertise to democratic institutions and civil society, such as the Protect Your Democracy Toolkit - which we launched today in partnership with our Jigsaw team.We’re also investing in, and shaping, the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. For example, Google has committed to provide scholarships for 150,000 people in Europe, the Middle East and Africa through the new Google Career Certificate training.We’re also helping governments and businesses stay ahead of the threat, including helping government agencies, companies and utilities who rely on outdated hardware and software to replace old systems with better foundations and we are here to build up businesses and governments’ confidence to embrace digital transformation securely.Google’s approach to securityWe believe we are uniquely positioned to help users, organizations, and governments in this region because of our approach to security.First, we focus on the basics. We bake in security from the beginning instead of bolting it on as an afterthought and we design helpful products that are secure by default for our users. In fact, we are the first consumer tech company to automatically turn on 2 step verification, our version of multifactor authentication, or MFA, for our users. We recommend businesses and governments focus on these fundamentals as well.Second, we take an open and interoperable approach to security, and we invest to ensure this model of the Internet as a whole is protected. In today’s interconnected environment, our collective security is only as strong as the weakest link. Our business cannot thrive if people don’t feel safe online. That’s why we design solutions that eliminate entire classes of threats from being effective both on our platforms, and across the Internet as a whole.Finally, and perhaps most importantly – we are looking at the future of cybersecurity and investing in advanced, state-of-the-art capabilities. We know that cyber threats evolve quickly – as soon as a new technology is introduced or adopted, there are threat actors and cyber criminals looking for ways to exploit it. That’s why it’s not enough to just stay a few steps ahead of the threat.We need to invest in the future of technology, from cutting-edge artificial intelligence capabilities, to advanced cryptography, to quantum computing – our teams are already working on the future of cybersecurity. And we see it as part of our mission to ensure that we open source and share these findings so that organizations and governments can stay ahead of the latest cyber threats.Security-proofing our tech policiesOur approach enables us to weather online security threats. But advanced capabilities are not enough if government policies inadvertently undermine our ability to protect users.I support smart tech regulation, which can fuel the vitality of the Internet and ensure technology is meeting society's needs. Unfortunately, some technology regulation is not adequately considering the impact to safety and security efforts online.For example, some policies seek to limit sharing of data between different services on platforms’ like ours, but overly-broad bans on cross-platform data sharing also have significant implications for the threat intelligence work I mentioned earlier.The ability to share intelligence on threat actors and their technical signatures helps identify and stop the work of threat actors and cybercriminals. It protects not just one company or two companies, but the Internet as a whole.To realize the full benefits of technology to society, society must be able to trust that the technology they are using is safe and secure. By ensuring security has a seat at the table in these policy discussions, we can strike this balance and unlock technology’s full potential. Today’s conflict and challenges point to a need for better cooperation and giving technical experts a seat at the table in these policy discussions.We applaud the Declaration for the Future of the Internet, which calls on governments and industry to protect a future for the Internet that is open, free, global, interoperable, reliable, and secure.At our core, Google is an Internet company, and our fate is tied to the Internet remaining true to these principles. The internet itself is a multi-stakeholder system, and protecting users and citizens online requires cooperation among us, governments and businesses.It’s never been more urgent, and our ability to make a difference is greater than anyone anticipated. We all must work together to protect this future, whether that means combating cyber threats, building safe technologies that unlock society’s full potential, or developing responsible technology policies.We stand ready to partner with governments, businesses, and individual users to see this future secured.

When you think of pyramids does your mind wander to the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt or the Mayan Temples of Guatemala? Great civilizations built each of these pyramids and inscribed their stories onto the walls of them, offering glimpses into their daily life.The Pyramids of Meroë in Sudan, while lesser known, are no different. Today, you can explore these stunning pyramids, which are a UNESCO World Heritage site, on Google Arts & Culture.Over 200 pyramids were constructed in Meroë, the third and final capital of the Kushite Kingdom, an ancient African civilization that ruled the lands of Nubia for over 3000 years. Now you can take a virtual walk through the Pyramids of Meroë and explore the inscriptions using Street View’s panoramic imagery. You can also learn more about the Kushite Kingdom, their royalty and the architecture behind the pyramids in an immersive web experience that’s available in a range of languages including Arabic, English, French, German and Spanish.A user searches Google for the pyramids of meroe, then places an Augmented Reality model in front of themSearch for “pyramids of meroe” to explore a pyramid up close in Augmented RealityA series of pyramids are arranged in two rowsUncover the story of Meroë at g.co/meroeA user pans along the outline of a pyramid in Street ViewExplore these remarkable Nubian pyramids on Street ViewA series of steep pyramids extends across the horizon.Sudan’s Pyramids of MeroëIf you want to get even more up close and personal, you can visualize the pyramids using augmented reality — no matter where you are. You can also listen to acclaimed Sudanese-American poet Emi Mahmood share evocative rhymes that are a beautiful ode to her homeland and to this project that shares Sudan’s rich heritage with others.We’ve also partnered with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (UNESCO) to bring you more information about Meroë, Gebel Barkal and Napatan region and Sudan’s Sanganeb Marine National Park.

Technology shines when it helps us get things done in our daily lives, and that’s exactly why a group of around 100 very eager seniors gathered in Odense, Denmark. All older than 65, many up to 85, they decided to stay on top of the latest technological tricks and tools. On this March day, the eye-opener was the often overlooked potential in searching for information using visual tools, like Google Lens.So now the seniors searched their surroundings directly: Scanned trees, plants, animals and buildings, used Translate to get hold of Turkish language menu cards or Japanese sayings, and found product declarations through barcode scanning.The group was taking part in a training set up by Faglige Seniorer, which organizes 300,000 seniors in total. They first partnered with Google back in 2019 to train seniors in using voice to search, and now the time had come to use live images.A room full of people seated at large tables listening to a woman speak.Around 100 seniors gathered in Odense, Denmark to learn more about Google Lens.Two older people looking at cell phones near models of birds.Participants used smartphones to scan images of animals like birds.An older person stands next to a model of a bird.The group was taking part in a training set up by Faglige Seniorer, which organizes 300,000 seniors in total.“Often, when I go for a walk, I stumble upon an unknown flower or a tree. Now I can just take a picture to discover what kind of plant I am standing before,” Verner Madsen, one of the participants, remarked. “I don’t need to bring my encyclopedia. It is really smart and helpful.”Seniors in a country like Denmark are generally very tech savvy, but with digitization constantly advancing — accelerating even faster during two years of COVID-19 — some seniors risk being left behind, creating gaps between generations. During worldwide lockdowns, technological tools have helped seniors stay connected with their family and friends, and smartphone features have helped improve everyday life. One key element of that is delivering accurate and useful information when needed. And for that, typed words on a smartphone keyboard can often be substituted with a visual search, using a single tap on the screen.Being able to "search what you see" in this way was an eye-opener to many. As the day ended, another avid participant, Henrik Rasmussen, declared he was heading straight home to continue his practice.“I thought I was up to speed on digital developments, but after today I realize that I still have a lot to learn and discover,” he said.

When Binti Mwallau started Hasanat Ventures, her dairy processing company in Kenya, she expected some resistance from her peers in an industry dominated by men. But she was surprised to run into more skepticism from her customers. Despite her background in finance and biochemistry, many of them questioned her credibility as a woman entrepreneur.Worried that her gender would affect Hasanat Ventures’ reputation, Binti considered hiring a man as the face of the business. But she eventually decided against it, standing firm in her pride as a solo founder and committed to tearing down the perception that women-run businesses in Africa aren't as successful as those run by men.“I think we should be challenging the outdated narrative that businesses run by men are guaranteed to be more successful,” Binti says. “Based on research, we've seen that businesses run by women actually perform better. We should use this as an opportunity to prove that as a woman, you do stand a chance to succeed in everything that you do.”Just as important to Binti as breaking this bias was giving Kenyans more access to affordable nutrition. “I realized that many people couldn’t afford premium yogurt. So we entered the market with a high-quality product that’s affordable for lower and middle-income earners who have become more health-conscious,” she says.Binti knew she had to drive awareness for her brand, particularly to reach Kenyans who needed convincing about yogurt’s health benefits. So she turned to Google Digital Skills for Africa, which offers virtual classes to help entrepreneurs grow their skills and businesses, and completed a digital marketing course to help her get Hasanat Ventures online.“After participating in the course, we knew our online presence had to be bigger than just social media,” Binti says. “Now that we have a fully functional website, we are actually getting leads from outside Kenya.”As part of the course, Binti learned how to use Google Analytics to measure her website’s performance. She could now monitor traffic insights, analyze pageviews and better understand who was visiting her site.Binti’s determination and passion for her business are showing up in the results. In its first year, Hasanat Ventures supplied over 300 retailers with affordable dairy products. Three years later, it’s grown to support more than 50 farmers and even built its own production facility to keep up with demand.“I really want to make sure that I am visible and speaking up in spaces women don’t usually have access to,” Binti says. “As Hasanat Ventures continues to grow, I am confident I can help change the perception of African women in business.”58% of Africa’s entrepreneurs are women. That’s why we’re empowering them with the platform and tools to grow their businesses. Learn more about our #LookMeUp campaign, highlighting Africa’s women entrepreneurs like Binti who are working to break the bias.

WIT Girls: Discover How Technology Powers Art & Music with Apple Join WIT +  Apple at their Avalon store and explore your artistic side! Through this awesome opportunity, our WIT Girls will learn art skills with Procreate. They will also get a chance to create their own music with GarageBand. WIT Girls, you won’t want