In no less than 117 days we are off to the world’s largest gathering of women technologists at the Grace Hopper Celebration in Orlando! We’re taking our 2019 #FabFive winners from our Student to Stemette mentoring programme. Check out who they are here and stay tuned with us via our Twitter and Instagram to follow their journey.
So, students interested in gaining more STEM life experience and career knowledge apply online and get matched with a woman from the STEM industry for a minimum of four months.
Here’s a snapshot of what they gain from the programme:
- Sherpees (Stemettes Mentees) gain personalised advice and support from a role model who identifies as a #WomeninSTEM.
- They are invited to a free, fun, food-filled speed interview evening with a diverse group of STEM professionals.
- They put those networking skills into practice by attending networking events together with their Sherpa (Stemettes Mentor).
- Create a professional online presence and gain regular support in their meet-ups with their Sherpa.
- Attend their Industry Insight Day and get fast-tracked through our summer work placements programme.
This programme is part of Deutsche Bank’s youth engagement programme, Born to Be, and includes a chance to win a Grace Hopper Celebration ticket. We take 5 winners each year on an all-expenses-paid trip to the United States to join over 20,000 women discussing the latest technologies that are changing the world.
This year the following Sherpees have become our 2019 #FabFive:
- Vanessa, Uni Student
- Becky, Gap Year
- Hadiyah, A Levels
- Akua, Makers Graduate
- Ayushi, A Levels
Vanessa: I have a maths obsession, I am hoping to gain a lot of inspiration from meeting so many amazing and successful women who are doing so well in STEM.
Favourite food: Jollof Rice
Favourite Student to Stemette Moment: The work experience that I had with my Sherpa, she is a software engineer at Framestore so I got to see how coding in languages like Python which I am familiar with is used on a more complex scale to help produce the CGI for some of the most famous films.
Becky: I’m definitely into the computing side of life, I’ve decided that is going to be my future career path.
My favourite Food is pasta, but Jollof Rice is up there.
Favourite Student to Stemette Moment: The best moment that the STS program gave me was when my Sherpa, Prina, had mind-mapped my plans and goals for my life and how each of them would help me obtain a career in computer science. This is my favourite moment because it helped me put aside all my anxieties and look at the bigger picture with someone who had progressed in their career, which gave me so much more confidence going into year 13.
Congrats @hadiyah_qureshi who graduated from our #StudentToStemette mentoring programme.
She is 1 of our 2019 #FabFive winners who will be joining 4 more #girlsintoSTEM on an all-inclusive trip to Florida for #GHC2019 ?
Supported by @DeutscheBank
+ https://t.co/CQck4zBRMy pic.twitter.com/RIel8aMEkV
— Stemettes ® ?★ # + (@Stemettes) May 13, 2019
Hadiyah: I’m super into maths!
My favourite Food is pasta, I could eat it every day.
Favourite Student to Stemette Moment: My number one achievement has been the ability to ask for guidance when I need it, and not being afraid that the other person will see me as stupid! Kirsty always told me this (especially after I got lost trying to come out of Canary Wharf tube station – why are there so many exits?!) And she has always been willing to go with me to events where I didn’t have anybody else to go with, such as Ada Lovelace Day live, or code bar talks!
Akua: I’m just starting my career as a Software Engineer.
Favourite Food: I’m craving a burger, but Jollof Rice is up there.
Favourite Student to Stemette Moment: One of my favourite moments was when my Sherpa advised me to do one thing a day just for myself, whether it be checking in on myself to see how I am or treating myself to my favourite food. It was so important as in an industry like STEM you can easily get burnt out and forget to take care of yourself. This led to me buying a blogger notebook for myself and is what I currently use to jot down all of my ideas for my blog posts about my journey into the tech industry.
Ayushi: I love everything STEM but mostly technology.
My favourite Food is rice and Daal… and Melons.
Favourite Student to Stemette Moment: The first meetup and getting to know one another was a great moment because we had so much in common. We barely got to finish the questions on time because we discussed so many things that mattered to us like the environment, equality and diversity in STEM, etc. From that meeting, I knew that I was going to learn much more about my Sherpa and how I can overcome my A-level struggles.
Here’s a nugget of impact so far…
- these students rated their enjoyment of this programme 10 out of 10 Overall
- 100% have increased STEM confidence
- 100% have an increased positive perception of STEM careers
- 100% agree they feel supported and are more likely to pursue a STEM career
- 100% have increased their STEM network
- 100% state being a part of the Student to Stemette programme has helped them build up their self-belief and self-confidence
You can follow their Grace Hopper Conference journey by following our social channels @stemettes.
Get in touch via email at team@stemettes.org to get involved!
