We need relatable role models to know we can achieve our
dreams.
For women wanting a career in STEM it can be hard to find
those that represent us in the careers we want to follow. But for Black women
representation is even smaller, making the work of my guest in this episode
critical for young Black women entering science subjects.
Dr Abigail Otchere is a PhD graduate and co -founder of
SiSTEM UK, a community supporting women in science. Dr Abigail shares her
journey into STEM, discussing the fact that Black female representation becomes
harder to find the higher you go, which is something she wanted to help change.
Since creating SiSTEM UK she has gone on to speak at events
and go to schools to share and inspire younger generations to consider the
sciences as an option for their futures.
This is a hugely inspiring and important conversation aiming
to change the narrative and increase representation in STEM fields.
“The higher I went the less people I saw that looked like me.”
- Abigail
You’ll hear about:
00:53 - An introduction to Abigail
07:18 - Getting over your internal blocks
09:42 - Going higher in STEM seeing fewer people like herself
12:26 - The importance of role models that look like you
13:42 - Why Abigail started SiSTEM UK
16:25 - Abigail's evolution into an event speaker
19:10 - Why are there few Black women in STEM?
22:07 - The biggest challenges for women entering STEM
25:47 - What does SiSTEM UK offer?
30:29 - The future for SiSTEM UK
Abigail’s resources:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-abigail-otchere-0902b2192/
SiSTEM UK on LinkedIN - https://www.linkedin.com/company/sistem-uk/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sistemuk/?hl=en
SiSTEM UK Linktree - https://shorturl.at/xItNF
My resources:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/martina-n/
Keywords
women in STEM, PhD journey, black women in science, STEM
education, mentorship, confidence in STEM, Sysstem organization, community
building, role models, career development
