When Mona Karam landed in California, the young Egyptian civil engineer's professional goals added up to little more than a vague desire to get a master's degree in whatever the latest tech trend happens to be, she said.
Five weeks later, Karam is determined to help create an eco-friendly business culture on par with Silicon Valley's when she heads back home to Cairo. She calls her participation in the State Department's initiative for Middle Eastern and African women a "life-changing" experience that has given her the contacts and the inspiration to become a leader for change.
