Two wheels, one big opportunity: Boise State empowers women through Boda Girls

Change doesn't always start with policy or power. Sometimes, it begins with a single opportunity. For women involved with Boda Girls, that opportunity comes on two wheels.

Boise State's College of Business and Economics Career Track MBA offers Boda Girls as a capstone project - a degree requirement in which students in which students act as consultants to help businesses solve problems by providing marketing plans, financial audits and sustainability reports.

A Kenyan initiative, Boda Girls was a finalist for the Global Impact.ORG Award, which recognizes organizations creating measurable change in their communities. The program teaches women to ride motorcycles and build their own taxi businesses, promoting independence and long-term economic stability. It provides no-interest motorcycle loans and contracts drivers to offer free, safe transport to medical services for other women.

From capstone to catalyst

Alum Regina Amponsah (MBA, business administration, 2025), a member of last year's team, was drawn to the project from the start.
"The moment I saw the topic, I was really touched by it. Because I am from Africa - from Ghana - I know the situation. I could relate to what's going on in those villages."

In year one, Boda's capstone team, meeting remotely with their partners in Kenya, created a company playbook now used by the Boda Girls staff to showcase their services. This helps them acquire additional funding and promote their work.

"As soon as we finished the playbook, the very next day Boda Girls took it out and came back with excellent results," Amponsah said. "The ladies were so happy. We provided them with something to do, a source of livelihood."

Onward and upward

The 2026 capstone team will create standardized flip charts to support the Boda Girls training curriculum as the organization expands across Kenya. The flip charts will provide a clear framework for instructors, helping them assess drivers' skills.

The partnership between Boise State and Boda Girls is thanks to Dr. Rhiana Menen, a Boise-based surgeon and Boda Girls supporter. She saw an opportunity to connect students with meaningful work.

"When I reached out to Boise State, I wanted to connect the College of Business and Economics' reputation for innovation with real opportunities for entrepreneurship and women's empowerment," Menen said. For her, the partnership was never just about collaboration, but shared values.

"Students gain real-world experience while helping empower the next generation of women leaders," she said.

A wider view: why a program like Boda Girls matters

Anita Taviore, Boise State track athlete and Career Track MBA candidate, is a fan of the Boise State/Boda Girls connection.

Hailing from Lagos, Nigeria, Taviore, a record-breaking sprinter who earned multiple All-Mountain West honors and academic accolades, said she understands cultural mores that dictate the lives of African women.

"My parents never wanted me to do sports because they believed sports were not for women," Taviore said. "They wanted me to just learn a trade - sew, or braid hair."

It is precisely that mentality that makes Boda Girls so essential, Taviore said. By providing women with opportunity, autonomy and trust, the program challenges deeply rooted assumptions about gender and work.
Amponsah shared an African proverb: "If you train a man, you train one person, but if you train a woman, you train a nation."

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