This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Texas chapter.

This is the second article in a two-part series on women in the pandemic. You can access Part 1 here, and I hope these women inspire you to lead with courage, empathy, and strength!

1. Ramida Juengpaisal (Thailand)

A digital product designer and front-end developer from Thailand, Ramida Juengpaisal works for a web design firm called 5Lab based out of Bangkok. Juengpaisal’s primary goal as a coder is to leverage technology and sophisticated designs to solve problems and better people’s lives. She views web design as especially prevalent in the wake of the pandemic, which has fortified the use of online platforms where people regularly order food, shop, engage in video calls, and more. Juengpaisal also advocates for using technology to enhance women’s rights in crisis situations. For example, she notes that domestic violence tracking apps allow women to collect evidence of abuse, compile timelines, and export reports. In a continued effort to empower women, Juengpaisal calls for the full integration of women in STEM to meet the growing demands of the tech industry. She herself was just 24 years old when she designed an innovative web platform that tracks COVID-19, demonstrating women’s potential to leverage technological expertise during a crisis.

To stunt the spread of misinformation and streamline data during the pandemic, Juengpaisal created a website called “COVID Tracker by 5Lab.” The project emerged overnight and attracted over 4 million followers in just 5 days, allowing users to access information on COVID-19 testing sites and contaminated areas to avoid. The website accumulated over 8.5 million unique users, and Juengpaisal’s team eventually expanded the website to include reliable news sources offered in five different languages (Thai, English, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, and Japanese) with the goal of increasing data transparency and accessibility. In Juengpaisal’s own words “I believe what I am doing is important, and data transparency is key.”

“For too long, the STEM fields have been shaped by gender biases that exclude women and girls. There are a lot of women working in the tech industry, but they don’t have platforms to show their potential. Despite this, women and girls are pushing the boundaries every day.”

2. Dr. Siouxsie Wiles (New Zealand)

A pink-haired scientist born and raised in the UK, Dr. Siouxsie Wiles currently resides in New Zealand, where she heads the Bioluminescent Superbugs Lab at the University of Auckland and studies infectious diseases. In 2015, Dr. Wiles gave a TedTalk on bioluminescence, explaining how injecting bacteria with light-producing genes can help us understand how bacteria evolve and provide insights into developing effective antibiotics. Beyond her work in the lab, Dr. Wiles advocates for demystifying science, turning to twitter, podcasts, and blogs to share accurate information on bacteria and viruses. These efforts led Dr. Wiles to receive the prestigious Prime Minister’s Prize for Science Media Communication in 2013.

As a widely awarded media commentator and a high-profile scientist, Dr. Wiles made a demonstrated effort to explain the virus from the onset of the pandemic, participating in up to 30 interviews a day to share accurate information on COVID-19. In these interviews and on her social media platforms, she urged the public to take the pandemic seriously and act responsibly through engaging in regular testing and contact tracing. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern even personally called upon Dr. Wiles to share information with New Zealanders and limit the spread of the virus.

Perhaps most influentially, Dr. Wiles collaborated with Toby Morris, a cartoonist for The Spinoff, to create over 40 graphics that visually communicate the science behind COVID-19. These graphics covered topics ranging from masks and vaccines to transmission and viral variants. Governments and organizations across the globe used the Wiles-Morris graphics as educational materials, with The World Health Organization adopting their artwork to spread transparent pandemic information on an international scale. In recognition of Dr. Wiles’ invaluable contributions, Kiwibank named her 2020’s New Zealander of the Year for her empathy and commitment to communication during the fight against COVID-19.

“I don’t look like somebody who’s supposed to be leading or in a position of authority. [But] authority and expertise can look like something else, and sometimes it’s pink, which is distressing for some people it seems.”

3. Tsai Ing-wen (Taiwan)

Born in Taipei City, Tsai Ing-wen grew up in her parent’s auto repair shop and went on to break through gender barriers in the political world. In 2008, she became chair of the Democratic Progressive Party, making her the first woman to lead a major political party in Taiwan. In 2016, Taiwan elected Tsai Ing-wen as their first female president. In 2020, she won re-election with the highest total number of votes in Taiwanese history. As president, Tsai Ing-wen’s actions indicate a commitment to economic innovation, cultural preservation, and international community building, areas she capitalized on during the pandemic.

As soon as signs of respiratory infection arose from Wuhan in January 2020, Tsai Ing-wen helped establish the Central Epidemic Command Center, enacted travel restrictions, implemented quarantine mandates, instigated rigorous contact tracing, and leveraged location tracking to monitor community exposure. To further fortify Taiwan against the pandemic, the government set up rapid testing centers, widespread temperature checks, and fines for not wearing masks. Citizens were able to use their national health insurance cars to purchase PPE, and officials regularly updated the public through daily briefings and weekly interviews. In early 2020, Taiwan announced an economic relief package to bolster individuals and businesses in need. Perhaps most significantly, Tsai Ing-wen instructed the government to overtake the production and distribution of medical grade masks to prevent panic purchasing and market shortages, going so far as to donate supplies to seriously affected countries across the globe.

As a result of these efforts, international outlets praised Tsai Ing-wen for her handling of the novel COVID-19 virus. In the first six months of the pandemic, Taiwan boasted some of the world’s lowest death and infection rates, with Tsai Ing-wen’s leadership serving as a gold standard for crisis management. In her 2021 New Year’s address, Tsai Ing-wen spoke to the people of Taiwan with empathy, pride, and encouragement. She commended the island’s handling of the pandemic, assuring the Taiwanese public that humanity proves resilient. She noted that just as past generations lived through eras such as World War II and the Great Depression, Taiwan would emerge from the pandemic and pursue socioeconomic miracles.

Despite the island’s initial COVID success, a new outbreak sparked panic among citizens in May of this year. Following a notable surge in coronavirus cases, President Tsai Ing-wen apologized to the public via social media, demonstrating empathy and transparency as a leader. In addition to closing schools and public venues, Tsai Ing-wen responded to the May 2021 outbreak by announcing that the government would upscale medical capacities, prioritize senior citizens in vaccine drives, and set up COVID screening booths in high-risk communities.

“Gender used to be a barrier for women to overcome if they wanted to be in politics, but today in Taiwan the situation is somewhat different. I think there is even a preference for a woman candidate, and in local elections, we have seen that younger, better-educated female candidates are overwhelmingly preferred by the voters.”

4. Dr. Vera Songwe (Cameroon)

One of the African continent’s leading economists and policy makers, Dr. Vera Songwe grew up in Cameroon and specializes in innovative financing, macroeconomic policy, and good governance. She previously served as a lead economist for the World Bank and currently operates as the first woman to ever lead the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). In this position, Dr. Songwe established the Digital Center for Excellence, implemented the African Digital Transformation Strategy, and founded the African Women’s Leadership Fund. These initiatives aim to advise African countries on the digital economy, increase internet accessibility, and uplift female leaders.

During the pandemic, Dr. Songwe advocated for people-first policies that empower local communities. She worked closely with both the IMF and The World Bank to ensure disaster response and chaired a meeting for African finance ministers. The meeting issued an urgent appeal to the international community for financial assistance, addressing the pandemic from a health-based and economic lens. The money raised through these efforts helped assure emergency health care responses while facilitating job creation and scientific advancement in African industries.

As a firm believer in information and communications technology, Dr. Songwe inspires governments to collaborate with tech companies and integrate digital solutions. This allows leaders to identify and assist citizens most affected by COVID, including service workers and employees within the informal sector. Through good governance, adequate infrastructure, and global coordination, Dr. Songwe argues that countries can pursue economic stability and implement innovative solutions to disasters such as COVID-19.

“If Africa emerges from COVID-19 with old inequalities unaddressed and new opportunities unrealized, its policymakers will have failed. If they recognize that a better normal is possible, and act boldly to make it a reality, the continent will at least have something to show for the suffering of the past year.”