Joanna Mohan 

Girls Guided

Joanna Jayalakshman Mohan is a teenager advocating for women to receive better access to technology globally. Joanna is an international student raised in Sri Lanka. Within her community in Sri Lanka, she noticed the gap in access to technology; women were never deemed worthy enough to access it, whereas men were always given priority. Recognizing this gap, Joanna joined a multitude of global organizations to advocate for technological accessibility. She is a youth member of the United Nations and the Sri Lankan Girls Guided Organization. 
Joanna’s childhood experiences, as she firsthand witnessed women being unable to obtain technological necessities, helped her recognize why South Asian women have typically fallen behind. She would often not have access to the internet and many families around her did not have the means to own computers and cellphones in their homes. Disparities were only exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, creating further obstacles in achieving equality. 
Seeing this massive gap in the system, Joanna joined the Girl’s Guided Organization, a global Girl Scouts Program that focuses on young women interested in changing the world. Joanna advocates to bridge the gap in accessibility. Her experience as an international student helped her recognize the differences in accessibility; she was able to witness technology being used more avidly and without restriction. Joanna stated how being able to use technology furthered her ability to learn and build connections within her new school. Currently in Hong Kong, she sends resources back home and creates tools that can be used to help those struggling. Even as an international student, Joanna continues to grow her platform and keep in contact with the Girl’s Guided Organization. 
Other than technology, her advocacy has also been driven towards different health and social issues faced by women in Sri Lanka. Joana continues to advocate for equal access to nutrition within her community. Witnessing the consistent health issues, such as low iron, she wants to inspire a change and advocate for equality in access to nutritious foods. In the future, Joanna wants to continue to advocate and branch out into forming NGOs to help women thrive and gain access to necessities. Joanna hopes to work towards ending period poverty and creating equality for future generations of women. She encourages all young women wanting to impact their community not to worry about others opinions and persevere through the challenges. 
Joanna’s story highlights the growth and changes one can make to their community, even being thousands of miles away. She shows how advocacy has no bounds and new experiences only foster new perspectives to further change.