 Hello everyone, I'm pleased to be here today to present this important award. I lead the program at NREL focused on building and strengthening strategic partnerships with universities and research institutes at the forefront of the clean energy transition. But before this, I had a long career working in energy access and international development, so that the C3E International Award is near and dear to my heart because I know how challenging the work in this space can be. As a C3E ambassador, it is our job to select an award winner from a very talented set of nominees, and this year was certainly no exception. The C3E International Award recognizes leaders amongst us who have developed and deployed clean energy products and services that increase access, promote efficiency, and expand energy around the world. And our 2021 award winner, Dr. Rhonda Jordan Antoine, exemplifies all of this and more through her deep knowledge of energy system optimization and planning to improve the lives of people who lack access to clean, affordable energy. Rhonda is an inspiration to us all in her professional and personal accomplishments. Working in Tanzania as a PhD student at MIT, she launched one of the first off-grid solar energy companies in Africa that helped to create positive social and environmental change. And with that tremendous experience, she has built a successful career at the World Bank, where she is now a senior energy specialist working on investment and advisory projects in sub-Saharan Africa and other countries with a portfolio totally close to half a billion dollars. Of note is that Rhonda was acknowledged by her team members for her empathetic and nurturing approach to management, as well as the care she takes to ensure that the women on her team have a wealth of opportunities to grow professionally. Specifically those that align with their interests, professional aspirations, and their desire to gain greater visibility in the workforce. Rhonda is a rock star and definitely a role model for all of us. But in addition to Rhonda's exemplary performance in the clean energy sector, another side of Rhonda is her excellence in the performing arts, notably dance, that she has been active in and doing her entire life. Rhonda has toured the world and even appeared on Dancing with the Stars, while still managing to find time to mentor middle and high school students through dance instruction. I am thrilled to present the 2021 C3E International Award to Dr. Rhonda, Jordan, and Juan. Please join me in congratulating Rhonda and welcoming her to the virtual stage to accept this award. Congratulations, Rhonda. The floor is yours. Thank you so much, Ellen, for your kind introduction. It's truly an honor to be introduced by you with your amazing accomplishments as well. Thank you to the Department of Energy, Stanford, MIT, Texas A&M, the C3E initiative, and special thanks to those who have supported me along the way, including my amazing family and friends, professors and mentors at MIT who nominated me, and phenomenal colleagues and managers at the World Bank committed to reducing poverty around the world. I am truly humbled and excited to receive the International Award today, really for three main reasons. Let me explain. First, it allows me to honor those that blazed the trail before me, including my very own mother, Veronica Jordan. She became an electrical engineer in the 1970s, breaking gender and race barriers, leading with integrity. And after a 35-year career, left a legacy at NASA, Xerox, the Navy, the Federal Aviation Administration. Ever wonder how the U.S. air traffic control system didn't go down in year Y2K? Yeah, my mom, she had a lot to do with that. She's also among those who created a space for me to be here today. And she's been a living example of the idea that women belong and are critical to helping the world solve its most pressing challenges. How fortunate and truly grateful I am to be her daughter and witness her courage and fearlessness each and every day. My mother is my hero. Today, I honor you, mom. Second, this award allows me to pay it forward by sharing my story. As you heard, some may say that my journey is a bit unique because I took a major detour. After finishing my master's, I didn't know how I wanted to use my skill set, so I decided to step away from engineering altogether and pursue dance professionally. In many ways, it was a difficult decision. But in some of the most basic ways, I knew that I love dance and I knew my decades of training had prepared me to be a performer. So for two years, I had the opportunity to perform and travel the world. And it was during this time, during my travels, that I saw firsthand communities living without access to power and basic services. And this hit me hard. Realizing that I could somehow use engineering to change this, I returned to school and I've been hooked on energy and international development ever since. Now, I can go on and on about geospatial electrification planning models and power sector capacity expansion models all day. But today, I'm sharing my story because for me, finding a passion is not what makes my story unique. Discovering there was room for two passions is. I performed on Dancing with the Stars during my first semester at MIT, as you heard. I trained and performed each semester during my PhD. But the arts, it taught me fierce discipline. Music is like math to me. And the joy I experience when creating and choreographing is like the joy I feel when cracking a complex problem. With my story, I want to encourage those who don't feel like they are on the traditional track. Those who have creative interests and abilities outside of energy, and those that don't see themselves reflected in common images of energy professionals, but who have a strong desire to make an impact in our world. We need you, your mind, your creativity, your innovation, your intelligence, there is space for you to thrive as an energy professional. Lastly, I'm so grateful for the opportunity to share broadly and widely the importance of clean energy in the development space. In line with the broader theme of justice and equity for this year's symposium, and while COP26 is ongoing, I must highlight that 760 million people worldwide live without access to electricity. And 600 million of them are in South Saharan Africa where I work. The lack of electricity access and peace development in Africa about 70% of schools and hospitals lack power, which has been critical during this time of pandemic. Women and children's health is impacted by the burning of traditional fuels in the home and economic losses to industries and businesses from lack of reliable power supply reach up to 4% of GDP in some countries. So in this context of insufficient power supply, very high electricity costs, limited consumer affordability, clean energy is key for access expansion. Now, Africa's energy mixes a small contributor to global emissions, but Africa has world-class solar, significant wind resources, and about 200 to 300 gigawatts of hydropower that can provide lower cost power. With regional integration and innovations around smart grid and fast evolving battery source technologies, renewables and other clean energy resources can be better tapped to provide power through both the central grid and also offer solutions like mini grids and analog systems that are essential to reach the most remote areas. All in all, the energy access challenge is great. And it's never about technology alone. This is why you see so many fields reflected in this symposium. But with clean energy, the opportunity for development is greater. To anyone watching today, I hope I hope you are encouraged to join us in advancing clean energy efforts around the globe. Thank you again to C3E for this award and also this platform to inspire the next generation of women who will lead the energy industry and quite literally save the world. Thank you so much.