hey, hello, hi!
I’m Meg. I’m 26, mixed race, born in Reading, grew up in Dorset and currently living and studying in Cardiff. I am a PhD student (find out more about that HERE) looking into sub-concussive brain injuries within sport, predominantly football/soccer.
I absolutely adore travelling and I’ve been blessed enough to see some incredible parts of the world. I love sport, mostly football and I support Reading FC… UP THE DING. I’m also going to share with you a secret love of mine… QUIZ SHOWS. Honestly, I will watch any quiz show; even those shows on at 2pm with presenters you’ve never heard of. My favourite is The Chase and I will challenge anyone who doesn’t agree that it’s the best. I also LOVE Richard Osman’s House of Games – the variety of games is so good.
Now we’ve got the nerdy bit out of the way… I’ve considered creating a blog for SO LONG now and after digging deep and finding some confidence and self belief… here she is! Honestly, I’m mostly using it as a much welcomed break from the pressure and work load my PhD is currently putting me under. My vision for Girls who STEM is to create an environment that celebrates and inspires the female population. As well as uncovering the good, the bad and the ugly sides of being a woman in engineering.
For those of you who don’t know, STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths: 4 sectors notoriously dominated by men. And while there are increasing resources and movements to promote and encourage females into STEM subjects, it isn’t surprising that of the entire workforce in all core-STEM subjects, only 24% are women. Additionally, us gals only make up 25% of university graduates in core-STEM subjects.
I am incredibly lucky to be surrounded by wonderful female figures. My mum is my absolute world, she’s helped me through every single aspect of my life and I owe her everything. My sister inspires me every day, she’s smart and beautiful, determined and probably too honest for her own good. I get a lot of my personality traits from my auntie and I love her with my whole heart. And my nan, the diamond in the family, has been there at a drop of a hat when I’ve needed her the most. These people are the reason I’ve had a fairly seamless academic journey so far and I want to identify my privilege from the start. Having said that though, it has not been easy by any stretch. I am also grossly aware that this isn’t the case for so many women out there and this blog is my way of exploring WHY women are so underrepresented within the science and tech world and HOW we can change and improve that.
So, strap yourself in and get ready to delve into the crazy world of being a woman in STEM…
All my love,
Meg x
Girls Who STEM 