Hi everyone! My name is Gerda, I’m a soon-to-be second-year computing student, and I’m also the Vice-President of the WiSTEM society. Inspired by the story of our lovely last president Stephanie Anani, I wanted to share my adventure about stepping into STEM as a woman.
I come from quite a small country – Lithuania – and an even smaller village in the middle of nowhere. I was fortunate to be blessed with breath-taking surroundings and lush nature. However, that came with a cost – I was quite isolated since all of my friends lived in a town nearby. Due to the distance, I was not able to see them often. To combat isolation, I started playing video games and made online friends. I figured that this initial interest in gaming resulted in my further passion for computing, which I still carry to this day. Funnily enough, game development is still one of the most intriguing areas of CS to me.
As I stepped into the 2nd year of high school, I had to pick favoured study areas for the next year. My school offered a lot of assistance in choosing the study subjects. Given the nature of the Lithuanian educational system, this was a critical choice, since it would determine what final exams you can take and in result, it would shape your career path. Regarding IT, we could choose one of the three fields – publishing, fundamentals of web development and programming – to study.
I admit I didn’t think much of what it was to be a girl in STEM back then, and I am glad I have looked into the issue now. When I look back at my high school experience, I recognise that some things could have been different. I still remember one of our teachers stating that the programming module was challenging and ‘better suited for boys’. Innumerable times I’ve heard programming be called a ‘man’s job’, and had to get used to shocked looks when asked about my plans. Our career coordinator advised me to adopt a different career path. She thought that computing science is too troublesome for women to keep up with because of existing concerns with maternal leave, given that technology progresses very quickly. However, there were significant positives, too - my IT teacher was encouraging, as not many girls would try to code, and some teachers notably supported my preference. I am grateful to ones that kept my motivation up, especially my lovely headteacher Giedre, my chemistry teacher Danute and my English teacher Reda who helped me with preparation for the IELTS exam.
To make it clear, I don’t think these issues come from willful ignorance. It’s justifiable to be taken aback when you hear someone is considering a subject that is not popular among women nowadays. I believe people do not realize the severity of the problem and the influence those statements can have on a young student. By delivering those comments, they might deter young girls from investigating the possibility of studying STEM or extending further interest. For them, it’s a single conversation. For us, it’s a repeating process, and we begin questioning if STEM is for us. Girls need more encouragement and support when sharing their interests, even if they are uncommon. We know that there is no basis to believe that women aren't capable of performing well in STEM - we are just as capable as men, but unfortunately, we don't get the same opportunities. STEM should be introduced as a highly viable career path to women.
I was one of two or three girls in my programming class. Inevitably, a sense of belonging was missing. I know some girls that abandoned programming all together. I know some girls that were accurate and clever; however, they needed more support reach success. Nowadays, many have a case of Impostor syndrome. There's a tendency to believe we’re not sufficient enough, and our results are based on luck, not our skill. Although the rates are similar in both men and women, men are more successful in fighting the syndrome, while women are more likely to be held back by their doubts. This is heartbreaking to know, as even statistically, this is true - A report in Psychotherapy Theory, Research and Practice confirms that up to 70% of high-achieving women have suffered from Impostor Syndrome. Despite my commitment and excellent results, I frequently undervalued my skills. There were many moments when I thought I’m not a good fit for the field. I believed I utterly failed my final high school IT exam. I made peace with the notion that my university applications would be unsuccessful. The results came in, and my worries were gone - I passed. For a long time, I remained convinced there was an error in the grading process. I still fight the feeling of inadequacy to this day; however, having a supportive platform has been a major boost to my confidence.
Coming to Dundee was an exceptional opportunity to meet more women in STEM. The girls I’ve met are amazing and skilled, with no exceptions. Sadly, I can’t help but feel the support for women in STEM could be improved. Quite a few girls love their studies but are reluctant to ask for advice, and that is understandable. We find it hard to ask for help in an environment with little to no women as the sense of belonging is lacking. Many girls feel that they don’t deserve to be at the university because they feel inadequate, and we wholly know that’s untrue.
I hope that restarting the society will help us create an empowering community and tackle the present issues. I want us to flourish, and we can only do so if more women connect with us. It's essential to build a strong foundation to ensure the success of our community. Let’s do our best for women in STEM!
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