Three Gibraltarian women embark on life-changing Washington leadership program 

Three Gibraltarian women are spending the autumn in Washington DC on a life-changing mentoring programme delivered by The Advanced Leadership Foundation, in partnership with The Parasol Foundation’s Leadership Initiative. 

The three, who recently completed STEM degrees, were selected by the team at The Parasol Foundation to attend its fully-funded program aimed at emerging leaders. 

“In a rapidly changing world, The Parasol Foundation wants to nurture the next generation of women leaders who can embrace change and offer fresh thinking,” the Foundation said. 

As well as being immersed in the business world and visiting international institutions such as the World Bank, the Gibraltarian women are also learning about the power of networking and how to hone their presentation skills.  

Each woman has been paired with an expert mentor to fuel their ambitions for the next step in their careers where they will be able to put into practice all they have learned while on the program. 

Joelle Harrison, who completed her MPhil in biological sciences at Cambridge University, aspires to be a patent lawyer.  

As part of her biology degree at Durham University she proposed a novel method for breaking down waste plastic using micro algae.  

She had a taste for the skills needed for her future career as she had to draft two novel patent applications and oversaw the process for securing a trademark.  

Dana Delgado Barreiro studied for a master’s in cybersecurity and forensic information technology at the University of Portsmouth after completing her first degree in criminology and forensic studies also at Portsmouth.  

She is determined to drive innovation in this fast-moving field.  

The fruits of Anne Isabella Canepa’s master’s research can be seen around the centre of Gibraltar.  

During the summer she monitored the local ecology as the bird population used her strategically placed birdboxes as part of her master’s in environmental sciences and climate change at the University of Gibraltar.   

This followed her first degree in geography at Leeds University.  

As well as environmental concerns, she is interested in financial services which means she may well stay in Gibraltar as it is a thriving sector. 

“There will be no time to miss home as the programme is intense but they can always reminisce as they were together as sixth formers at Westside School,” the Parasol Foundation said. 

“The Parasol Team is looking forward to welcoming them home at their offices in late November and hear what’s next for this talented trio.”