Congratulations to Mary Moloney & Norma Welch of CIT who ran CIT/I Wish Campus week last week where 80 students over the course of the 5 days took on an interactive programme which allowed the students to immerse themselves in STEM via applied & practical interactive workshops, site visits and demonstrations. One student was nominated to take a panel speaking slot at the I Wish City Hall event in February and the winner was Emma Coffey of St. Angela’s.
Girls in STEM: A Life No Less Ordinary
We live in a world where opportunities are endless but expectations are limited. We are brought up being told we can do anything but when it comes to our career paths “anything” falls into a category.
Today in our Education systems we, as women are being subconsciously pushed into career choices that are lower paid and are self-limiting.
We are told that Home Economics and Art are “nice” choices for a girl. Now whilst there are nothing wrong with these subjects, Maths takes a backseat and is no longer becoming a necessity for girls, in our schools.
We live in a generation which sees a scientist as a crazy old man, an Engineer as an innovative quick thinking male. A generation that perceives computer scientists as high class gamer boys and Mathematicians, middle aged, numerically oriented men with few social skills.
The IWish programme is challenging these perceptions. We are shown just how many career opportunities which are out there, just waiting for us.
This week has opened my eyes towards science, shown me a new side of Mathematics, explained the benefits of Physics and earned my appreciation for all things Engineering!
The time to challenge and change is now. Let’s change the ratio of girls in STEM and together we can challenge people’s views.
Emma Coffey- St. Angela’s