Girls inspired to consider science-based careers

A group of year 10 girls of South-Asian heritage were invited to the University of Reading for an inspirational event about women working in science and technology-based industries this month.

The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Conference for Asian Girls took place at the University’s Whiteknights campus on Thursday 1 February.

45 students from Reading Girls’ School and Eden Girls’ School in Slough attended. The event began with a campus tour of the University, followed by a STEM subject taster session, ‘The Chemistry of Chocolate’. Students found out about the chemicals present in cocoa that may have an effect on heart health, whilst using their sensory skills to see if they could taste the difference in different types and brands of chocolate. 

In the afternoon, they were joined by three guest speakers: Suneeta (Sunny) Khutan, who has been named as one of the most influential women in UK tech; Julie Khanom, former Partner Marketing Manager for a digital telecommunications company in Dubai; and Professor Parveen Yaqoob, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Pro-Vice Chancellor of Research and Innovation at the University of Reading.

Each guest spoke about their journey towards their career whilst facing many barriers within and outside of their culture, including sexism, racism and family pressure. Despite these barriers, the guests all spoke of their determination, perseverance, goals and ambitions.

Professor Parveen Yaqoob from the University of Reading said: “It was a privilege to be involved in this event to inspire young girls from South-Asian backgrounds about the possible opportunities available to them.

“My own experience has taught me that you can do anything if you are determined enough. I would also like to thank the brilliant guest speakers who joined me to share their journeys to success. It was wonderful to see the students so engaged in listening to their stories, and learning how they overcame obstacles in their career to reach where they are now.”

Kate Thompson, a teacher from Reading Girls’ School, said: “The girls were buzzing with how great they found the day. When we got back to school, I got them to write down something they enjoyed, something they found interesting, something that surprised them, and something that had inspired them. There were lots of positive comments about the campus tours and some lovely write-ups about the wonderful guest speakers.”

Sahasra, a Year 10 student from Reading Girls’ School, said: "I think it is really inspiring that we got an opportunity to speak to those guest speakers and learn about their experiences. I believe everyone has their own special journey that consists of difficulties, but opportunities lie within. Knowing this has given me a chance to understand all the options available in life.”