Miral Kotb: Lighting Up the Stage and Showing Why Every Girl Belongs in Tech
- Brianna
- Aug 9
- 2 min read
Updated: Aug 31
Imagine combining software coding with dance, wiring LED suits and lighting up the stage in total darkness. That’s exactly what Miral Kotb did and she rocked it all the way to America’s Got Talent success. In fact, her company iLuminate was a finalist and was dubbed “the best new act in America”.
Who She Is and What She’s Built
Software Engineer + Dancer: Miral studied CS at Columbia while training in dance in NYC .
Founder & CEO of iLuminate: Launched in 2009, this performance-tech company creates light-suit choreographies for global acts like the Black Eyed Peas, Christina Aguilera, and more on shows like Dancing with the Stars and the AMAs.
STEAM Advocate: As a two-time cancer survivor, she uses her story and platforms like TEDx, Google’s “Made With Code,” Grace Hopper and NASDAQ to inspire girls and women to pursue STEM/STEAM paths.
Why Her Story Matters
Miral literally bridges two worlds of art and engineering showing they aren’t separate. She often says “programming is just another language for storytelling”, proving tech can be creative and inclusive.
What This Teaches Us — And Its Connection to Period Poverty
Miral’s achievements remind us: talent is everywhere but opportunity isn’t. Right now, millions of girls are missing code classes, dance clubs, sports teams not because they don’t belong, but because of something as simple as period poverty. Without pads or clean bathrooms, they’re forced to stay home, lose confidence and fall behind.
What if every girl had the basics she needs every single month?
She could attend school in full.
She could code or dance.
She could build future-forward stuff like Miral does.
That’s not a dream, it’s possible, when we ensure access and dignity for all girls.
Miral Kotb lights up the world on stage, in tech and in hearts. Let’s make sure every girl has the chance to shine just like she does. Because when we eliminate barriers like period poverty, we don’t just close gaps. We spark the world.
Comments