Laila @laila_abudahi Twitter profile

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

4 years

Thrilled to see the region getting the recognition it deserves. So proud to be part of the engine enabling this! :)

Patrick Collison

@patrickc

4 years

Stripe is excited to lead @TeamManara 's seed round. To learn more, see Dalia’s story below. (More women than men study CS in many Middle Eastern countries.) We're very long technologies and organizations that are enabling global economic opportunity. 🌍🚀

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

10 months

My mama called from #Gaza today! 🥹😍 This woman is unstoppable and is the reason I keep going!

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

8 months

It's hard enough being a #startup founder, let alone having to do so when ur family & engineers are in a war zone. We lost all com with Mohamed Alotol, one of our eng in #Gaza , for weeks. Turned out Mohamed was killed by Israel along with his wife Rawand and their 3 children.

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

9 months

It’s terrifying that people like @talbroda are shaping the future of AI.

Stop Arab Hate

@StopArabHate

9 months

“More! No mercy! IDF don’t stop!” Tal Broda is Head of Research Platform at @OpenAI which develops ChatGPT. To express concern, politely contact: 📧 VP of People diane @openai .com 📧 VP of Global Affairs amakanju @openai .com 👉 Also bring awareness to: @sama @satyanadella

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

4 years

Meeting @paulg & @jesslivingston this morning is a dream coming true. Their articles/books ignited the entrepreneur in me since I was 19 yo & inspired the launch of my first startup in #Gaza 7 years ago. Thrilled to have shared our progress &vision at @TeamManara w/ them today!

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

8 months

An exceptional software developer, Mohammed was passionate about his work and was always striving to become a world-class engineer. Despite the challenges of living and working in a war zone, he continued to learn, and practice his craft.

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

4 years

@paulg Just like Dalia, I went to school in #Gaza & became a senior SWE in the Valley. I like to joke that the hardest part wasn’t escaping Gaza in the middle of a war, but rather, my first interviews... which I totally bombed!😉 This is why @ilianamontauk & I launched @TeamManara .

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

8 months

We didn't get a chance to connect Mohammed to his dream job. He was taken from us too soon.

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

8 months

Resilient engineers? My people are made of steel.

Manara

@TeamManara

8 months

Screenshot from engineer in our community in Gaza, Wesam. While studying under relentless bombing in the North (& pregnant!), she found an error in "Data Structures & Algorithms in Dart," and ensured to notify the authors & contribute to its next version. @FlutterDev @Suragch1

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

3 years

Finally in my dad’s arms!

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

11 months

I haven’t been able to get in touch with my family for more than 24 hours now. Your tax money is funding this massacre. If you’re not speaking up against Israel’s state terror, what the fuck are you doing?! We will never forgive.

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

3 years

7 years ago, I brought myself to this country as a student. It wasn’t a smooth ride since then. I had to leave the US 40 days ago not knowing if I’ll manage to come back. Today, I land in the US a permanent resident on an “advanced degree & exceptional abilities” basis! :) #proud

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

10 months

Necessity is the mother of invention. Other bread-baking attempts shared by the @TeamManara community in #Gaza . Families, like mine, had access to no fuel for days now and access to bread is extremely limited.

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

2 years

10 years ago, I managed to get a team from #Microsoft #Redmond to #Gaza , a city under siege, to conduct an event at my university. There were literally a couple of Israeli air strikes on #Gaza few days prior and we still pulled it off.

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

3 years

Mama! ❤️

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

3 years

After 8 months of nomading, signed a lease in the Bay Area today. So good to be back home! 😍

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

2 years

Humbled to be featured on the cover of @EntMagazineME this month. Let's do this! ✌️💪 @TeamManara

Entrepreneur Middle East

@EntMagazineME

2 years

Meet the stars of our June 2022 digital cover: @teammanara co-founders @ilianamontauk and @laila_abudahi ! Their SiliconValley-based startup aims to diversify the global tech sector, while also elevating the economies of the MENA region:

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

4 years

My #badass mom, 50 years old, 5 kids, full-time teacher, doesn’t speak any #English whatsoever, started to learn #Python this month & made me promise to find her programming gigs once she’s done 😅 What’s ur excuse? #supermom #proud @ThePSF @SciPyTip @PythonStack

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

8 months

My aunt was killed in #Gaza this week. I haven’t seen her in 9 years and will never do. Her medications ran out and she couldn’t get the heart surgery she needed months ago thanks to the state terror of #Israel . Spare me your prayers and go do something to #CeaseFireInGaza NOW!

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

8 months

An example of how true leaders lead. cc @garrytan @ycombinator

Sam Altman

@sama

8 months

muslim and arab (especially palestinian) colleagues in the tech community i've spoken with feel uncomfortable speaking about their recent experiences, often out of fear of retaliation and damaged career prospects. our industry should be united in our support of these colleagues;

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

4 years

Taking a tiny moment to catch breath and celebrate. We're so thrilled and humbled by this ride. It really took a village to get where we are now and this is just the beginning! ❤️🙏🏽 #Gaza #Palestine

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

3 years

The look on these kids’ faces - my childhood summarised in one picture.

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

4 years

Happy to announce @TeamManara 's first two internship offers this season from @Google ! @daliaawad28 from #Gaza and @muath_amer from #Ramallah will be joining Google this summer for their 2021 internship program. Couldn't be prouder of this cohort :) #ArabTech

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

2 years

Being celebrated by your school hits different! :) @TeamManara ’s story was highlighted on the homepage of @UW ’s ECE’s website today! ✌🏽

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

3 years

On Friday, I plan on leaving the US for the first time in almost 6 years in an attempt to see family. Family who literally just survived a massacre & whom I haven’t seen since I left Gaza 7 years ago.

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

3 years

“Both sides” = “all lives matter”

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

2 years

One of those days when I feel lucky to be in California.

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

3 years

First international flight as a US permanent resident - taveling with a Canadian just in case 😅

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

3 years

News of a ceasefire .. I’m a huge mess right now. Mixed feelings of relief, rage, guilt for being so useless, guilt for leaving family behind, fear for my family, fear of my rage, sick of the news, angry with people not watching enough news .. So exhausted.

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

7 months

Help us get a 100 companies to commit to hiring Palestinians once this genocide is stopped. #techjobsforpalestine

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

3 years

Cleared to board the flight! ✈️ لقد هرمنا

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

3 years

Another @google offer on the way this week! 😎🤓 @TeamManara FTW! 💪

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

3 years

#Ramadan kareem to those observing. Thinking of @TeamManara ’s engineers who will be graduating/interviewing while fasting 15-hours days every day for the next month - talk about resilience! 💪🏽

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

4 years

@Trevornoah Hi Trevor, I don't usually do this -contacting celebrities- but I've recently read ur book & was deeply touched. It's fascinating how much a mixed kid growing up under apartheid in South Africa & a Palestinian girl growing up in a refugee camp in Gaza have in common.

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

2 years

So excited to partner with @seedcamp on this journey!

seedcamp

@seedcamp

2 years

We are delighted to participate in @TeamManara 's $3M pre-seed round! Huge congratulations, @ilianamontauk , @laila_abudahi , and the team, for your incredible work connecting top Middle East talent to global tech jobs! Read on 👉🏽

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

2 years

She co-signed my lease when I first moved to the US because nobody would let me rent a room with my nonexistent credit history. Today she accepts a job with Manara. 🥹

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

2 years

Man what a beauty this town is

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

4 years

Your daily dose of heart-warmth! ❤️ So proud of having been a part of @daliaawad28 's journey to @replit & @Google . This is the reason why we do what we do @TeamManara . 💪🏽🥺😍 cc @masadfrost you're featured here ;) #Gaza #Palestine

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

3 years

Meeting point is a 3rd-party country since I can’t go to #Gaza anymore. I don’t have a visa to this country. I’m not allowed to apply for one. Plan is to show up & hope for the best. Describing this as an emotional rollercoaster is an understatement. It’s a hurricane of emotions.

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

3 years

Just received this #endOfYear recap created by the team @TeamManara - TWO MILLIONS in salaries created for engineers in the #MiddleEast (remote/relocation)!! The scale & magnitude of Manara’s impact keeps surprising me every day. This is a year to be proud of! 🥳 #NewYear2022

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

4 years

@paulg @ilianamontauk @TeamManara @TeamManara identifies overlooked computer scientists in the Arab/MENA region and teaches them how to interview at global tech companies. We are NOT a zero-to-hero bootcamp. Our referral-to-hire rate @Google is 67%. To hire our talent:

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

2 years

Awesome turnout at #Gaza5k today! @UNRWA #SF

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

10 months

Family in Gaza has successfully build a clay oven after days with no fuel.

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

3 years

Talk about #Palestine ! ✊🏾✌🏽 #SaveSheikhJarrah

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

3 years

Palestinaizing pizza parties .. recreating a taste of home in the Bay Area! ✊🏾👌🇵🇸

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

4 years

So excited for the first ever @TeamManara swag! Can’t wait for our volunteers & alumni to receive theirs too in the next few weeks 😍🥳🇵🇸 Special thanks to @aliglenesk for getting us this cozy just in time for the holidays! 🙏

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

2 years

It was soo good meeting the community in #Amman today. @TeamManara is going to #Lebanon and the #UAE next. Stay tuned for more details! 👌💪🏽

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

3 years

Road tripping with family :)

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

3 years

Playing tourist in the Middle East turned out to be so much fun; much more than expected!

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

3 years

If you know me well enough, you’d know how much I hate NGOs especially the ones operating in Palestine. They did more harm than good in Gaza and they help nobody but their staff. PCRF is the one exception to that rule. If you want to donate, donate to the PCRF.

Paul Graham

@paulg

3 years

"As Gaza is under attack again, the one million children who live there are the primary victims." Here's where you can donate to help them:

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

4 years

Spent a weekend in paradise

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

2 years

At @hub71ad today. Awesome community and great vibes. 👌

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

8 months

💯 - @garrytan and YC’s response to the well-documented ongoing genocide in #Gaza is a disgrace to say the least. Never felt more alienated as a Palestinian founder in SV as much as I do today!

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

7 months

Donating to @UNRWA isn’t optional anymore. It’s a must. UNRWA isn’t just another nonprofit that helps Palestinians. It’s THE defacto ministry of health, ministry of education and food bank for millions of Palestinians around the world but especially those in Gaza. (1)

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

3 years

A stranger agreed to refer me to Google 7 y ago when I 1st moved to the US w/ no network. That was a pivotal moment in my career& made me believe I can make it here. I later joined Nvidia & started Manara to pay it forward. Philippe is a new Manara mentor now. It’s a full circle!

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

2 years

Finally meeting @rayandawud in person! 💪🏽🇵🇸 #PalestinianPower

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

2 years

Nothing like meeting @TeamManara alumni in person. Today with @shoman_ps in #Dubai ❤️

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

2 years

If you know you know

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

4 years

First #Amazon offer for this cohort!! 🥳💪🏽 @TeamManara

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

3 years

How surreal is this? 👇 A @TeamManara engineer in #Gaza hours after the ceasefire was announced.

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

10 months

@IShenfeld @paulg @BubbaCasella @ilianamontauk How is he using her? He literally put his money where his mouth is and was one of our 1st investors. He's simply stating facts.

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

4 years

Introducing @ilianamontauk to my worst Arabic childhood songs! #ExistentialCrisis

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

3 years

Can it please stop? I can’t take this anymore.

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

4 years

@Trevornoah I moved to the US on a @FulbrightPrgrm . Now I'm a SW engineer in Silicon Valley. This refugee-camp girl, despite her bold sense of fashion since 1990😎, had no chance in hell of making it this far w/out the fishing rod & resources that Fulbright made available for her

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

3 years

If you can build a startup in #Gaza and survive for a year, building in SF is a walk on the beach. An awfully long one but still! 💁🏻‍♀️ #SelfPepTalk

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

8 months

Ummm WTF?

Dima Khatib

@Dima_Khatib

8 months

Journalism is committing suicide after this interview

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

10 months

@IShenfeld @paulg @BubbaCasella @ilianamontauk My entire family is stuck in Gaza. The only risk of them being butchered right now is by Israel not Hamas.

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

2 years

Last week, I participated in a panel organized by @unrwausa on the future of digital economy in Gaza. As a #Palestinian refugee born in a refugee camp in #Gaza , this was so speaci and hit close to my heart! Here’s why:🧵👇

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

4 years

Did you know that more #women study #CS in the #Arab world than men? Today, a very special day for us @TeamManara , we launched our 1st ever entirely-women cohort! We’re happy to welcome aboard 30 AMAZING Arab female software engineers - so excited!

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

2 years

Gotta love the tech/startup community here in #MENA - we found a venue for our Meetup in #dubai thanks to @aahamdz ❤️🙏 Come say hi if you’re in town

Manara: Dubai Meet-Up

Laila Abudahi, CTO & co-founder of Manara is in town. We're hanging out with the Manara Community on Saturday, 24 September, come join us!

www.eventbrite.com

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

4 years

Facebook is reminding me of this memory 6 yrs ago in #Gaza . Sad this will always be “my craziest #birthday memory” but so lucky to have survived it. I managed to move to the #US on a @FulbrightPrgrm scholarship a few weeks later & my life was never the same since then! #Grateful

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

10 months

Do I know anyone who can connect me to the UNHCR office in Cairo? Need help with family members from Gaza seeking refugee status

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

11 months

Gaza is completely alone facing a terrorist state.

Abby Martin

@AbbyMartin

11 months

After 3 weeks of carpet bombing a caged population of millions while cutting off water, electricity, food & medicine, Israel has severed all telecommunications. Now they can commit genocide without the annoyance of their victims telling the world about it

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

4 years

Find yourself a cofounder who gets you the best birthday gifts ever and drives all the way from Berkeley to deliver them in person 😍 Love you @ilianamontauk

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

10 months

Rage is an understatement at this point. #FreePalestine #FromTheRiverToTheSea

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

2 years

ppl say that starting a company is lonely but I've been fortunate enough to do it with @ilianamontauk . Never a dull moment with this woman & her contagious energy! She's been out sick for a week now & all I can think abt is: how the hell do solo founders survive this shit alone?

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

3 years

The US media coverage of what’s happening in #Palestine is misleading at best. Follow #SaveSheikhJarrah for more updates from people on the ground.

Omar Baddar عمر بدّار

@OmarBaddar

3 years

1) Status quo: occupation/apartheid is violence against Palestinians 2) Then Israel escalates through evictions/beatings/shootings 3) Then some Palestinians respond w/violence 4) Then Israel "responds" w/massacres If u start reporting at #3 , you're misleading your audience.

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

3 years

I want to write a book about millennial Gazans in the diaspora; basically following my Gaza childhood & high-school friends (who got themselves out of Gaza in the last 10 years) & tell their stories. How does book publishing work? Any particular publishers I should reach out to?

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

3 years

If @TeamManara can get a Gazan to @Google in Germany, Manara can basically do anything!

Manara

@TeamManara

3 years

In February, Dalia Awad shared her amazing story on Medium. And last week she arrived in Bonn, Germany to start her internship at Google! 🧡 🇩🇪 🇵🇸

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

2 years

No shortage of stories like Dana's at @TeamManara . This one is special though. Dana didn't want to have to relocate for work. She was able to land a remote job at @codecov , SF-based startup, and make 300% the salary she was offered locally! :) #Palestine #womenInTech

Manara

@TeamManara

2 years

Why Mentorship Matters and How It Transformed Me. #mentoring #femalesintech @Medium

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

3 years

Every time I talked to my mom in the last 10 days, she was always strong with a confusingly great spirit. She kept cheering me up by making up the most random shit to talk abt to reassure me everything is ok even though I could literally hear the airstrikes in the background.

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

3 years

Nephew turned 4 years old tonight while waiting in the car for the last 6 hours for the border to reopen. Family had to improvise! 😅❤️

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

3 years

Thrilled to be sharing my @TeamManara story with you all via my good friends @travelwithatlys - would love to see @Mira404 's story highlighted next :) #iamimmigrant #immigrantsChangingTheWorld

Atlys Support

@atlys

3 years

Thank you @amasad for the nomination. @laila_abudahi 's story from Gaza to founding a @ycombinator -backed company as an immigrant shows sheer grit and resilience. Today, we're celebrating her work. Read her story: #iamimmigrant

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

3 years

Manara’s superwomen in #Gaza ! 😍

Manara

@TeamManara

3 years

Did you know there are more women graduating from Computer Science in #Palestine than men? 52% to 48%. Compare that to the US, where 18% of CS bachelor's degrees are earned by women.

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

3 years

Recharged!

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

10 months

Family’s clay oven

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

10 months

@IShenfeld @paulg @BubbaCasella @ilianamontauk Oh wow - sometimes I forget how powerful the Israeli propaganda is and how brainwashing works even on smart people. There is no safe corridors by the Israeli army, Inbal. They told 1.1 million ppl to move south then bombed them on the way when they tried to do so.

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

4 years

I woke up today remembering the 2014 war; specifically my neighbor’s 3-story house that was wiped out by an airstrike in a split second. My heart is heavy with #Gaza these days..

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

4 years

Super excited about this! We are now accepting applications from female software engineers in any country in the Arab world; prioritizing Palestine & Lebanon. If you know a GREAT software engineer in the region, please encourage her to apply! #Palestine #Lebanon #software #tech

Manara

@TeamManara

4 years

[ All levels of experience are welcomed ] APPLY NOW for Manara's "Passing the coding interview" remote program; Women's Edition. Join our great community of women in Tech and let us help you unleash your true potential -->

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

2 years

In the Middle East this week; the joy in the streets for #morroco ’s win is just indescribable!

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

2 years

Touchdown #Amman . Time to refill on shawarma. 💃🏽

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

3 years

How can we get Yosemite any closer to the Bay Area?

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

2 years

More #women applied to Manara this month than men! 🚀🧡💪 cc @TeamManara

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

3 years

Remembering my first job interview in the US today. The interviewer asked me the typical behavioural interview question: “Tell me about a time when you’ve overcome a hard challenge”. (1/4)

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

3 years

Have you tried #Mansaf before? @aboSamoor ’s masterpiece! 👌🙌

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

3 years

Unstoppable!

Manara

@TeamManara

3 years

In awe to see one of our #Gaza participants attend our training on @zoom AND turn in his homework on time! He's determined to be ready for internship interviews @Facebook @Google @amazon @stripe in August before headcount expires. INCREDIBLE resilience 💪🏽 👨🏽‍💻🦸🏽‍♂️

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

3 years

Me: I’m going to pick my brother up from the #airport . #Arab families: hold my #hookah ! 😅

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

3 years

How does the US continue to support this apartheid state???!! How are we letting this to continue to happen on our watch?! Call your representative PLEASE!!!

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

3 years

How can’t you fall in love with Hend? Hend is a Manara alumni and a TA for the current Manara S21 cohort. Hend is in Gaza right now being bombed by #Israel . Save this amazing human and call your representative today!

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Laila

@laila_abudahi

2 years

Read this!

Y Combinator

@ycombinator

2 years

“What Manara brought to Palestine is to make people believe that they can actually get jobs at Meta and Google. Before 3 years, no one in Palestine would believe that anyone can ever get jobs in big tech companies.” @TeamManara

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