The metaverse is still in development, and leading innovators are heavily involved in shaping the future of how we interact with technology.

Similar to the early days of the World Wide Web, when it was still abstract and not yet widely used, some individuals foresaw the digital age long before it arrived. In 2022, Web 3, crypto, and the metaverse experienced significant growth. Many innovators were already immersed in the metaverse, working on various technological advancements.

People are investing in Web 3.0 and expecting it to become our new reality. This time, women are actively participating to ensure inclusivity and accessibility to job opportunities in the metaverse, and to ensure that the metaverse reflects all people, especially those from underrepresented groups who are only beginning to see themselves represented and celebrated in our culture.

This week, we'll reintroduce you to trailblazing women featured in a recent edition of Women of Color magazine. These women are making significant contributions to the metaverse and are equally passionate about creating opportunities for girls and women preparing for a career change. These female visionaries come from diverse backgrounds, demonstrating that one does not have to start in technology to become a significant player.

Sonya Worrell is the co-founder and chief content creator of HBCU Nation, HBCUiRadio, and HBCU Smart TV. She is a cybersecurity analyst with expertise in various aspects of online security, such as security risk assessments and incident response. She is experienced in thwarting threat attacks and is familiar with threat intelligence and cutting-edge security technologies.

Throughout her career, she has launched and maintained several broadcast productions from concept to creation. She has also built, launched, and managed digital platforms such as HBCUiRadio (available on ten worldwide streaming platforms) and HBCU Smart TV (hbcusmarttv.com, ROKU, and Amazon Fire TV). She holds a master's degree in cybersecurity from Norfolk State University and an M.B.A. from Strayer University.

Sheila Khan Judkins is the director of Marcom, Metaverse, and Meta Reality Labs. With 20 years of experience in toys, games, entertainment, education, and gaming for companies such as Hasbro and Electronic Arts, she has driven product transformation for brands like Star Wars, Play-Doh, Transformers, The Sims, and GI JOE.

As the director of the brand on The Sims, Judkins led efforts to improve representation by incorporating over 100 skin tones into the game and collaborating with MAC to create better makeup options for darker skin tones. She also worked on redefining menswear with Stefan Cooke x British Fashion Council.

Judkins is dedicated to fostering connections and utilizing technology to create safe spaces for education and self-discovery in order to encourage open-minded and empathetic citizens. Additionally, she has served on the Board of Directors for Girls on the Run Rhode Island and been a mentor for Odyssey of the Mind, a creative thinking development program for children.