An Analytical Mind
Shalewa Nyanza
Shalewa Nyanza is a visionary leader, advocate, and change-maker, dedicated to empowering women of color and uplifting her community. As a mother of two college students who overcame learning disabilities to pursue higher education, Shalewa's personal journey shaped her into an unwavering advocate for equity, resilience, and opportunity. Her experience navigating the challenges of securing proper educational accommodations for her children ignited her passion for advocacy and laid the foundation for her life’s work.​​
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Since Shalewa was a little girl, she always had a passion for technology, even before it was called technology. Instead of asking for dolls for Christmas she wanted train sets. She enjoyed taking things apart just to see if she could figure out how to put them back together. Having a love for Math, algorithms and dealing with numbers she graduated from North Carolina Central University with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and a minor in Physics. Her career path after college was to go into Cryptology. Her 1st year after receiving her bachelor’s degree, she began taking graduate level classes in Software Engineering and started her 1st full time job as an analyst. This is what started her down the path of being a computer programmer. While her career in technology was financially rewarding, she realized her true calling lay in creating meaningful change and fostering empowerment.
After getting a taste of technology, she began her specialization in the technology industry as a Fortran Programmer and then moved on in her career using many different programming languages performing Database Administration on many different database platforms. After 10 years as a programmer her career shifted into being a System Analyst. Severn years later she became a Business Analyst so that she could become more intimate with the clients she worked with to view application development from the perspective of the business. Her success in the other positions allowed her to shift into another recent role as an Automated Test Engineer. Over Shalewa’s career she has held positions in each aspect of the Software lifecycle.
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​In January 2021, Shalewa founded Five Star Women of Color, Inc., a groundbreaking nonprofit organization designed to nurture, educate, and transform the lives of women of color. Her vision is to cultivate sophisticated, empowered women who are property owners, financially secure, health-conscious, and well-positioned to thrive. Shalewa’s leadership is driven by her unwavering belief that access to knowledge, resources, and support is what bridges the gap between women of color and a life of true fulfillment. Her work is not only a reflection of her passion but also a testament to her commitment to breaking cycles of disadvantage and creating pathways to success.
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Shalewa is currently advancing her expertise by pursuing a master’s degree in Nonprofit Management at Harvard University, having recently completed the prestigious MD Nonprofit Cohort in October 2024. She is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Women in Cyber Security Mid-Atlantic, the NAACP, and numerous diversity committees, through which she continues to champion inclusion, equity, and community engagement.
Shalewa Nyanza’s leadership, resilience, and commitment to empowering others make her a powerful force for change, not only in Baltimore but beyond.
She STEMs is to encourage, inspire and motivate young girls and young women to “COME to STEM”, “GROW in STEM” and “STAY in STEM”.
