Archive for October, 2008

By Kellie Kreiser

It’s been a few days since the women of Project Artemis left Thunderbird.  After a few days of getting caught up on sleep, different experiences from their visit keep coming back to me.  With the news filled with economic doom and gloom and 24-7 election coverage, there is one particular conversation that keeps popping into my mind.

We had taken the women to the mall.  Everyone had their special goals in mind… face cream, baby shoes, a nice suit, gifts for the family back home, a splurge at Victoria’s Secret.  As we were walking past store after store, Sediqa turns to me and says, “I can see why Americans buy all the time… you are shown so many wonderful things.” She swept her arms out to all the shops and displays.
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By Kellie Kreiser

This was the big day… graduation! It was the event where the women were officially recognized for their accomplishment and awarded their certificate for the program. And like all Thunderbird commencements, it was filled with flags and fanfare. The women’s professors, mentors, program coordinators, and all the people who supported them during their two-week journey, came to see this finale of the program.
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By Kellie Kreiser

Today was the final day of instruction for the Project Artemis women. As was fitting for the last class, the topic of discussion was setting goals and plans for the future. The fellows and their mentors worked together to identify what actions they would take in marketing, management and the financial aspects of their businesses. We called this the “Roadmap to the Future.”
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By Kellie Kreiser

“Let’s get down to the nitty gritty” was the phrase of the day today. After a week-and-a-half of classes, guest speakers and site visits, today was the day that the Afghan women put it all together for their particular business. The American businesswomen who volunteered to be their mentors arrived by plane and car to work one-on-one with the Artemis fellows on developing their business plans.
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By Kellie Kreiser

One of the great things that happen when women of different cultures are mixed is that we discover those universal similarities that transcend borders. We love our families and miss them when we are away from home. We talk about the handsome men in movies (Sharukh Khan!) We think a good bargain at the mall is nirvana. And we know that a day at the spa is a very good day. Today Project Artemis visited Zethina Cosmetics and Skincare, and it was a very good day.
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By Kellie Kreiser

Week Two of Project Artemis kicked off today. It is hard to believe that we are already more than halfway done with the program. But by the same token, it feels like we have packed a miniature MBA into this short time. Today’s topic was marketing, something that every woman was excited to learn. Thunderbird alumna and Artemis mentor, Lenora Peppers Greene started the session by giving Rahima her daily English lesson: “Bang for the buck.”

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Some of the Project Artemis women had a chance to shine this weekend on local television. KPNX-TV (Channel 12), the local NBC affiliate, followed the Project Artemis women to Azteca Wedding Plaza in downtown Phoenix and to China Mist Tea in Scottsdale. Here’s the link to the news broadcast, in case you missed it. The women also are working with CNN on another news segment that will reach an even larger audience. Stay tuned for more information.

By Kellie Kreiser

Who said that weekends are for resting? What a day we had today! We started our morning with a cultural lesson … teaching the women about “Sunday brunch.” Hosted by Jennifer and Fred Unger at their beautiful hotel, the Hermosa Inn, our group enjoyed an elegant midmorning meal. Our host commented that the Hermosa Inn, a glamorous 1930s adobe structure, was just a “mud house,” similar in construction to homes found in Afghanistan.
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By Kellie Kreiser

All work and no play makes Geeta, Zarmina, Farida, Rahima, Mariam, Halima, Malika, Nafisa, Sayara, Storay, Khalida, Jamila, Fawzia, and Sediqa dull girls. So today we had some fun! The group loaded into the bus and drove north to beautiful Sedona.
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By Kellie Kreiser

Hearing about a business is a whole lot different than seeing it with your own eyes. That’s why the process of visiting companies is so important to the impact of Project Artemis. Today the women had a chance to see two seemingly unrelated organizations, but both held similar lessons … Scottsdale Healthcare and China Mist Tea.
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