Tell us something interesting about your role or Industry.
Being a PhD student in a fairly new industry (engineering and social science combined) has been challenging however very rewarding. I have the opportunity to become an expert in gender equity in STEM, something that directly effected me when I was studying and working in the field. I get to talk to amazing individuals in the field and come up with ideas to encourage young girls using my engineering skills. I love the flexibility of being a student, becoming one has given me the time to shape my future career. Most of I love the fact that I can be a visible role model to other black women around me. PhD can be perceived as unattainable for young black people however me showing up illustrates hope that this is possible.
I am naturally a creative person but I had a passion for mathematics. I wrote this into google when I was in secondary school and engineering popped up! Just like that I was open to the wonderful world of engineering. I began to ask myself how things are made. Initially, I wanted to work in the manufacturing part of the cosmetics industry which I might still do but my experiences in the industry shaped my career. I have always been passion about women in engineering, I had no idea I could make a career out of it. This is a progressive industry and I love been part of the future of engineering.
Research requires a lot of skills, my day right now consist of a lot of reading and comprehending the work that already out there. In order to have a PhD you have to contribute to knowledge. This means you have to read all the papers in your industry and outside to build a strong argument. There’s also a lot of critical thinking and time management that goes on. Aside from this, I run a company with my sister called SiSTEM UK. We plan events and manage 27 interns across the UK. I do talks with companies and schools, design workshops. I use a lot of creativity attract and engage our target audience.
This would have to the roundtable talk we hosted with Karen Bardy's women in Tech and Business expo. We invited 40 influential women to talk about issues effecting women in STEM. That day just confirmed to me that we are doing the right thing and that the years of hard work and rejection was not for nothing. It has made me into the woman I am today that can stand for other women and gather them together. We are better together.
