The Unicorn Law may be alive and well and women in the technology workplace still as rare as the proverbial hen and its teeth, but things are changing as young minds do great things and knock both themselves and South Africa out the park. South African students Tiffany Onderstall and Samantha Knupp beat off stiff competition to take second and third place respectively in two international competitions.Onderstall was awarded second place after beating 88 000 competitors and more than 30 finalists in the 2015 Adobe Certified Associate World Championship. The students were assessed on their creative and technical skills as well as their ability to follow instructions from the client. This ‘client’ was Room to Read, a non-profit organisation focused on improving literacy and gender equality in education. Students had to implement the company’s vision and message accurately as part of the challenge.Knupp came third in the 2015 Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship (MOSWC), which is impressive considering 600 000 candidates competed to demonstrate their mastery of Microsoft Office products. The final round had 145 students from 47 countries testing their skills and Knupp’s third place win was an incredible achievement.Both women shot to the top thanks to hard work and a passion for technology. Will they be the ones to slay the unicorn? Along with the many other women who participated and placed in the competition, the answer is very likely a yes.No stereotypes

Knupp’s third place win netted her a medal, a trophy, Microsoft products and a $1 000 scholarship fund. She stood out over thousands of other entrants and her motivation for entering was, quite simply, why not?“The competition seemed like an amazing opportunity to experience something different and to see how my skills compared with others around the world,” says Knupp. “To enter the MOSWC competition, you had to pass an exam with a perfect score, with accuracy, duration and speed being taken into consideration to gain access to the South African final.”The South African final saw the entrants complete a project exam and Knupp received an impressive 100 percent as a final score.“I did my absolute best and was inspired by the opportunity to compete internationally,” she says. “I’m considering entering again next year for Excel 2013. I also plan to use my time to encourage others at my school to enter as it was such a wonderful experience.”When asked her views on women in technology and if she had encountered any issues, Knupp’s response is thoughtful: “The only resistance I experienced was people’s expectations. I think many were surprised that two girls from South Africa placed in the top three. Women are perfectly capable of working with technology and it’s good to have perspectives from both genders. I believe women interested in this sector should break free of gender stereotypes and just go for it.”