Chishiba Chilimba

BSc/MS Biomedical Engineering

Zambia

Phase

II

Cohort

8

For me, to be a changemaker means to possess the ability to take initiative to actively identify and find solutions to societal problems. A changemaker must be selfless and should be committed and passionate about finding creative and innovative solutions to problems existing in the community.

Chishiba has demonstrated keen interest in solving health problems since a young age. She began taking action on this interest in eighth grade, where she joined the Junior Engineers, Technicians, and Scientists (JETS) club, where she worked on projects with other youths in Zambia passionate about science and technology. These experiences led to her resolve that whatever she had to do in her future career and studies needed to combine her tenacious passion for the health sciences with her interest in technology and innovation. Chishiba has experience spearheading a community project aimed at improving the quality of drinking water. She simultaneously interned at Ndola Teaching Hospital in her home country, Zambia. With insight acquired from her program of study, internship training coupled with intensive research, she has so far come up with a prototype design of a homemade water purifier and intends to see to its finished design. Chishiba knows first-hand wonderstruck that comes with girls pursuing careers in sciences. This experience, therefore, serves as an incentive to continue pursuing her studies in engineering as she is a source of inspiration to young girls in her society. In the coming years, Chishiba will be instrumental in advancing biomedical engineering studies at various institutions in her country of origin as a health educator and use her society’s populace as a platform to empower girls to engineer solutions.