SPEAKERS:

Roya Mahboob

Roya Mahboob is an Afghan entrepreneur and philanthropist focused on building #DigitalLiteracy for women and children in developing countries. Roya is the Founder and CEO of Afghan Citadel Software Company (ACSC) , which is based in Afghanistan. Roya founded ACSC with the intention to facilitate more jobs for recent graduates, especially girls, and help them find opportunities in the new IT markets of Afghanistan. Roya’s personal goal for #Digital Literacy is to bridge the gap between developed and developing countries by offering practical online skills in her new company and platform EdyEdy for youth in developing countries. Roya Mahboob is also a Board Member and president of the Digital Citizen Fund " Formally Women's Annex Foundation", a non-profit organization focused on #DigitalLiteracy to empower women and children in developing countries , and sits on the Advisory Board of Forbes school of business of Ashford University , Resolution project and the Global Thinkers Forum organization. Roya was named to TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World for 2013 for her work in building internet classrooms in high schools in Afghanistan. The TIME 100 essay was written by Facebook COO, Sheryl Sandberg who is also the author of “Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead”. She is also a Member of the 2014 Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Awards , Civic Innovators and Young Leader of World Economic Form. Roya’s story of co-founding an all-girls robotics team in Afghanistan is featured in the 2025 film Rule Breakers.

Elaha Mahboob

Elaha Mahboob is the founder of Teamix which transforms how tech projects come to life by connecting startups and enterprises in AI, Robotics, and Web3. With over 7 years of experience in business development and social innovation, Elaha has built initiatives advancing digital literacy and financial inclusion. Elaha Mahboob is a co-founder of the New York-based Digital Citizen Fund with her sister, Roya. They help females in developing countries to access technology and connect with people and resources virtually, in a bid to develop the skills necessary to compete in a global market. Her journey has fueled her commitment to bridging talent, technology, and opportunity. She was also recognized on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 - Asia - Social Entrepreneurs list in 2018. Elaha holds a Master of Public Administration from Cornell University.

Musfirat Rahman

Musfirat is a Bangladeshi-American senior at The Young Women's Leadership School of Astoria and the current team captain of the FTC robotics team Mechatronics 13368. Her favorite programming language is Python, and she likes machine learning. She developed a skin care app, Glo-Up, which is published on the app store. In her time in Mechatronics, she taught engineering classes to Bangladeshi and Tibetan students, inspiring young students internationally to program and build. She also facilitated the Prosthetics Project and helped her teammates 3D print prosthetics designed to help amputees. Going forward, she wants to learn computer science, and in the upcoming years, she wants to study abroad. Under Musfirat's leadership, Mechatronics 13368 advanced through the Qualifier and Super Qualifier rounds of the 2024 - 2025 NYC FIRST Robotics season. The team finished an impressive 29th out of 131 teams at Citywide Championships and earned the Inspire Award earlier in the season for their outstanding performance and leadership.

Agenda:

3:00-4:00pm Reception and Robotics Demonstration

Network with the community while enjoying light bites and experience hands-on operation of the Mechatronics robot!

4:00-5:00pm Power Panel: Girls, Grit, & the Future of STEM

This intimate conversation features Musfirat Rahman, Team Captain of Mechatronics 13368 at The Young Women’s Leadership School of Astoria, in dialogue with Roya and Elaha Mahboob, mentors to the Afghan Dreamers and global advocates for girls in STEM, a NYC FIRST representative and notable woman in STEM. Together, they’ll explore the transformative power of robotics education—from the school lab to the global stage—and what it takes to create real access and belonging for girls in tech.

5:00-7:00pm Rule Breakers Screening

Rule Breakers is an inspirational true story about an all-girls robotics team from Afghanistan who defied societal expectations and competed in international competitions. The film follows Roya Mahboob, a software engineer and entrepreneur, who mentors the team and advocates for girls' education in a country where it is often discouraged. Rated: PG