Hundreds attend I Wish STEM Showcase

HUNDREDS of female students from around Cork and Munster who gathered in City Hall yesterday were told: ‘You are the future, you can be a CEO, be the very best version of you.'

Students were attending the I Wish Science, Tech, Engineering and Maths (STEM) Showcase for Girls, the largest such event in Ireland.

It aims to inspire and motivate young women to pursue careers in STEM.

There was a buzz in the air as students met with experts in a range of fields, including CEOs, doctors and company directors.

Gillian O’Gorman, Danielle Sheehan and Annie Cummins, all 17, from St Angela’s College had been hugely impressed by the speakers.

“They are really inspirational, telling us we can do it if we want,” Gillian said.

Danielle was keen to learn more about engineering and all three were shocked by the statistics showing how low women’s participation in the sciences was.

Keith Ellis, who teaches physics in Cobh Community College, wants to see more female role models being put forward. 

“We want to show them that working in STEM doesn’t have to mean being stuck in a lab, it is about innovation, marketing and everything else.” 

Marguerite O’Sullivan, Innovation Manager at DePuy Synthes said she and the team were keen to show the students that there was a place for more than one type of person in the industry.

“They don’t see the jobs we have,” she said.

“There are so many different types - even if you are creative or you want to be into the arts, you can still be that and have a career in industry."