I wish I weren't the only girl in my computer science class
Source: Sofia Gattuso
Sofia is a year 12 student at a University Technical College. Photograph: Alamy
I’m determined to do well in a traditionally male area, and I think more girls should consider doing Stem subjects
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I’m 17, and I’m the only girl in my computer science class. I’m pretty much the same as my classmates, only shorter. I expected a large majority of my classmates to be male, but being the only girl is slightly mind-blowing. I also study engineering, and am hugely outnumbered in that too.
People think it’s unusual for me to study a subject that is associated with boys and leads to what is generally considered a man’s job. Stem subjects are still male dominated: nearly four out of five of those who took A-level physics in 2012 were male. And only about half of female Stem graduates go on to work in Stem roles.
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This may be due to lack of encouragement from parents, teachers or classmates, or down to the individual – they simply believe they are better suited to a different role.
But for as long as I can remember, I have had an interest in these types of subjects, in particular computer science and engineering. I wanted to learn more about them, so I was encouraged to consider a University Technical College, which teaches specialised subjects, such as engineering, to sixth-form students.
When I visited the college, I observed the teachers’ performance and really liked their university-style approach to learning. The students seemed extremely dedicated to the subjects they had chosen and to the UTC itself – and that convinced me to enrol.
I have often been questioned about my subject choices, and so has Olivia, who studies engineering at the same college as I do. She is also outnumbered in her classes – the ratio is generally around 1:7. “The teachers help me out and are sensitive about my being one of the only girls. They ask if I need help in private. Therefore, if I do, the boys can’t make fun of me,” she says.
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When you tell people that you’re studying a subject that they think seems manly, they are very surprised. Olivia says people ask her whether it is difficult to participate in the practical side of engineering and seem slightly concerned.
Holly Garrod is currently in year 12 studying multiple Stem subjects at our UTC. She’s experienced no sexism from her male classmates. “They treat me the same as everyone else,” she says.
Holly feels more girls should be encouraged to pursue a science career and hopes that women are taken more seriously within science-based industries in the future. She is enjoying the subjects she’s chosen and hopes to continue her studies by doing an apprenticeship in microbiology in the future.
In the end, for Holly, Olivia and me, the fact that our subjects are dominated by boys and men just makes us more determined to prove that as young women we can thrive in what is considered a male subject.
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