Dervla’s Story: A New Pathway Discovered with SmartSTEMs
Dervla’s journey highlights the transformative potential of SmartSTEMs events in helping young people reimagine their future. Before attending the SmartSTEMs Inspire event with Nine Twenty Engineering in September 2019, Dervla was focused on a career in the arts, spending hours each week immersed in drawing and dreaming of becoming an animator or illustrator. However, that single event sparked a newfound interest in STEM that reshaped her academic and career ambitions.
A Change of Direction: Inspired by Connections The turning point for Dervla came through engaging with industry professionals, including a recent J.P. Morgan graduate who shared an enthusiastic vision of technology’s impact and the range of career paths within it. Another pivotal moment was hearing Gillian Docherty OBE speak about data science’s role in space exploration, broadening Dervla’s understanding of the vast possibilities in STEM.
“I remember gaining a brand-new insight into the world of STEM. It gave me the chance to meet a range of STEM professionals and learn about the varied careers they pursue. Until then, I hadn’t fully realised just how exciting a STEM career could be, which led me to consider following that path.”
An Evolving Passion with Ambitious Goals Since then, Dervla’s interest has grown into a love of computer science, especially AI and algorithm design. She has attended a Computer Science accelerator course at the University of Cambridge, where she developed a predictive model to help educators gauge student emotions from writing samples. Additionally, she received the Hopper Award from dressCODE last year. Dervla’s involvement with SmartSTEMs has not only introduced her to a new field but also influenced her choice of subjects for her National 5s, with a focus on computing science, space, and data science as potential career routes. Predicted to achieve top grades in Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Computing Science, Biology, English, Psychology, and PE, she plans to advance to Higher courses in Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Computing Science, and English.
I hope to attend an Oxbridge university after school to pursue a degree in computer science. I’d like to follow this with postgraduate study, aiming for a career in academia. I’m excited by the future of computer science and believe it holds many exciting opportunities.
A Lasting Impact: Inspiring Others Dervla’s story demonstrates how SmartSTEMs can ignite new passions. Her shift in focus, coupled with her achievements since, underscores the impact of these events in shaping future aspirations for young people across Scotland.
Dervla is a clear example of how SmartSTEMs events can turn a student’s direction. Before the SmartSTEMs Inspire event with Nine Twenty Engineering in September 2019, Dervla was set on a more artistic path. She was determined to be an animator or an illustrator, spending hours every week drawing and sketching. But the event sparked a passion for STEM that totally changed her academic and career goals.
