AAFSW — Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide
Expanding Access and Opportunity
William “Ed” O'Bryan & Alesia Krupenikava — SOSA awardee portrait

2023 SOSA Awardee

William “Ed” O'Bryan & Alesia Krupenikava

350 girls. Three global semifinalists. One country's first programmers.

Turkmenistan · Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs · Foreign Service Officer & Professional Associate

SCA

Bureau assignment pending AAFSW confirmation.

In a country where women's professional opportunities are tightly constrained, William “Ed” O'Bryan and Alesia Krupenikava asked a simple question: what if girls here learned to build technology? Working as a husband-and-wife volunteer team — O'Bryan as a Foreign Service Officer, Krupenikava as a Professional Associate for Public Diplomacy — they launched Technovation Girls across Turkmenistan: a six-month program where teams of girls aged 8–18 identify a real problem in their community and build a working mobile or AI application and a business plan to address it. They recruited mentors from the business and diplomatic communities, coached local program leaders, and spent countless hours alongside each cohort of participants. Since 2021, more than 350 Turkmen girls have completed the program. Three teams advanced to the semifinals of Technovation's global competition — rising from a pool of more than 1,000 teams worldwide.

Voices from the Field

“Watching refugee children enjoy their childhood again... after a few visits, children are dancing, creating beautiful art, making friends. Ukrainian mothers thank us every day.”
Meredith WiedemerMoldova
“It allows me to transcend languages and cultures and feel unified.”
Debra StockQatar
“It is communicating with the language of love. They have shown me that the impossible is possible.”
Debra StockQatar
“By volunteering, we exemplify the best of the American tradition of helping and raising our communities — whether in small town USA or at some distant outpost abroad.”
Denis RajicShanghai, China
“Serving as a volunteer is a means of giving back to a community that takes care of you.”
Vicki DanielShanghai, China
“Witnessing the project grow beyond my initial idea into something that the people of Madagascar have embraced is a priceless gift.”
Justin WimpeyMadagascar
2025 SOSA Winner
“Even small acts of service can create lasting ripples of hope, belonging, and connection.”
Jennifer SturgeonNetherlands
“Every year, I'm blown away by what people are doing overseas.”
James A. Baker IIISOSA Co-Founder
“Volunteerism by members of our Foreign Service community is not just a kindness. It is an essential and underappreciated dimension of American foreign policy.”
Susan BakerSOSA Co-Founder
“Watching refugee children enjoy their childhood again... after a few visits, children are dancing, creating beautiful art, making friends. Ukrainian mothers thank us every day.”
Meredith WiedemerMoldova
“It allows me to transcend languages and cultures and feel unified.”
Debra StockQatar
“It is communicating with the language of love. They have shown me that the impossible is possible.”
Debra StockQatar
“By volunteering, we exemplify the best of the American tradition of helping and raising our communities — whether in small town USA or at some distant outpost abroad.”
Denis RajicShanghai, China
“Serving as a volunteer is a means of giving back to a community that takes care of you.”
Vicki DanielShanghai, China
“Witnessing the project grow beyond my initial idea into something that the people of Madagascar have embraced is a priceless gift.”
Justin WimpeyMadagascar
2025 SOSA Winner
“Even small acts of service can create lasting ripples of hope, belonging, and connection.”
Jennifer SturgeonNetherlands
“Every year, I'm blown away by what people are doing overseas.”
James A. Baker IIISOSA Co-Founder
“Volunteerism by members of our Foreign Service community is not just a kindness. It is an essential and underappreciated dimension of American foreign policy.”
Susan BakerSOSA Co-Founder