On October 24th 2018, Excelian Luxoft Financial Service hosted us for a day of lessons, leadership and inspiration at our STEMillions Leadership Academy in London. Two of our attendees, Kirsten and Daisy, shared their experiences of travelling down to London and what they learned at the leadership academy.
Kirsten, Year 9, from Stockport:
‘We left on the train from Stockport to London at 4:23 pm, and arrived at London Euston by 6:30, as it was a very fast train. When we arrived, we went down multiple escalators to reach the underground line to Old Street. It was extremely crowded on the tube, as it was still rush hour, but we managed to get on and off again at the right stops. It was quite dark when we got back to ground level again, though our hotel was very close so we quickly arrived there and found our room and had our evening meal.
In the morning we had a lovely breakfast and then left to go to the event. We got slightly lost, even though it was very near, but we still managed to get there on time. The event was great, and we started by playing some games to meet everyone, we had a series of talks on how to give a good presentation, and what a good and influential team leader is like and we also heard from some ladies who gave us their inspiring stories about being a woman in STEM. My favourite part of the day was when we got to learn about presenting as I found it extremely helpful because that is what I most struggle with. It was really interesting, and we also got the chance to learn about all the Stemettes websites. There were only 10 people there, and we had a great time and learnt a lot.
During our stay in London, we also got some time to do some sightseeing, and so we got to visit the London Eye, the Houses of Parliament and even Platform 9 3/4! Overall, I would recommend this trip as I learnt a great deal from it and had a brilliant time.’
Daisy, Year 9, from Stockport:
‘I travelled down via train and arrived in London at just past 7. We checked into our hotel, went out for dinner and went out exploring. Once we got back to the hotel, after our day of travelling, I went to sleep.
Our first speaker of the day spoke about how to present with confidence. This was beneficial as it provided tips on before, whilst and after presenting and how to deal with the nerves. Furthermore, it taught me how to boost my confidence, when talking to a large group of people. I enjoyed this talk because my confidence and presenting were my weakest areas and it helped me to overcome them.
The 2nd and 3rd speakers enlightened us on their experiences within STEM and their journey to where they are now. This was influential and uplifting to see a strong powerful female role model in a STEM-based career. Also, it showed me the different aspects & opportunities that STEM can provide and that STEM is not limited to men, even though it is presented as a male-dominated industry.
The 4th speaker also shared her story and how to overcome misogynistic ideologies that men have in the workplace. I found this helpful as women are not pushed as much as men are to advance into a STEM career, especially engineering-based jobs, Additionally, the 5th speaker educated us about strong, influential leaders in STEM and how they influenced the world of STEM.
A big thank you to Kirsten and Daisy for writing such lovely pieces for us! It is a big journey to make, so we are pleased they could join us and have such a brilliant time!
Thanks also to Excelian for hosting us for this STEMillions Leadership Academy and running such amazing workshops for our attendees! The Excelion team went the extra mile to make sure the girls left feeling more confident and ready to take on the world!
- Toni opened the day up and introduced the girls to everything Excelion!
- Kristina and Sarah both ran inspiring sessions: Kristina headed up presenting with confidence, while Sarah focused on team leadership.
- Ninghui & Marilena were part of our Q&A session.
- Shoutout to Rachel who hosted the whole day!
Overall, the girls rated the day 8.9 out of 10 and 100% said they would come back! Here is what a couple of the other girls who attended had to say:
‘I enjoyed the energy and optimistic energy these women had. They helped me improve my mindset on STEM and how I go about getting into STEM. It also helped me relax a bit more about my future and not stress so much. Thank you!’
‘I learnt to have confidence, be a strong, empowered woman and leader in the workplace. Don’t expect people to hand you everything, you have to put in some of the work yourself. Making mistakes does not make you a failure.’
To learn more about STEMillions and how to be a part of the fun, visit our website.
