🔬 The Access Project is passionate about helping more women into science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) subjects. Last year 52% of our female students went on to study a STEM subject at university.
Mia is a Year 13 student at one of our London schools, and she is getting tutored in Physics. “My tutor helped me understand Physics in a lot more depth. You can tell by my grades. At the beginning I got Es and Ds, but my grades have really improved. I got an A in my last Physics test.”
Mia’s tutorials are helping her develop new skills. “My tutorials have helped me gain confidence in myself. I never offered to ask questions or answer questions in class. I used to be really quiet. Because my tutorials have helped me understand the subject more, it’s helped me a lot with learning. Not only in Physics, but also with Maths and other subjects.”
“We’ve always had this mindset of making the most of what we have at our disposal”
Mia wants to study Mechanical Engineering at university. “I’ve always been into the idea of hands-on work. Most of my family are mechanics and chefs. Because of that, I have grown up with curiosity about how things work. We’ve always had this mindset of making the most of what we have at our disposal.”
Mia has a few different ideas about where her studies might take her. “Since Mechanical Engineering is a broad field, I haven’t taken an interest in anything specific. I am interested in aircraft maintenance and engineering, or at looking at different jobs in the automotive industry.”
“I would like to be one of those women to make a difference and break the barrier”
Mia has experienced the automotive industry through her family. “You definitely don’t see that many women in the automotive industry. I used to get cars serviced with my mum and uncles, and the only females I could see were at the front desk. It drove me to think that I would like to see women have more active roles in the industry.”
Mia is feeling positive about going into the industry. “I saw a few women doing the aircraft maintenance and engineering apprenticeship, and that is very encouraging. I would like to be one of those women to make a difference and break the barrier.”