Meet Sandra

Follow your dreams, be proud to be different

"My dreams and aspirations are as much about who’s gone before me as they are about paving the way for those after me.”

I want girls to believe they can do anything

Going to school in Nigeria I was in the minority; one of a few girls in my school, one of even fewer that went on to study sciences. I put a lot of pressure on myself to succeed. I wanted younger girls in my community to see that they could achieve their dreams too, even if no-one had done it before. Moving to Glasgow for my master’s was a huge change for me, but I’m so happy to be surrounded by so many people who want to achieve good things for their communities.

Giving back can start small

It took just one person believing in me at school that helped give me the confidence to carry on studying sciences. It just wasn’t the “done thing”. A lot of people, including my family, were sceptical at first, but that made me want to work even harder. I started visiting primary schools to encourage more girls to study science, I wanted to pay back that belief that I received. I can feel that same common belief here at GCU; when you receive positive encouragement from someone it makes you want to do the same for others.

I wanted a course that could do both

I wanted to choose a master’s course that gave me the right blend of academic research and applied learning. I want to get out there and see how tools and processes can change the world for the better. It’s why I ultimately picked GCU, even though I knew nothing about Glasgow and a year on I still struggle with the accent sometimes; I know I’ve made the right decision.

Supporting women in STEM

Like Sandra, there are many ways students can further their passion for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) at University.

With only an estimated 25% of the STEM sector being women, we aim to inspire and enable more women to engage with STEM at university.

• GCU is a proud partner of Equate Scotland – an organisation working for women in science, engineering, tech and construction to challenge and change attitudes and culture
• GCU is a proud partner of the Women’s Engineering Society – a charity and professional network of women engineers, scientists and technologists offering inspiration, support and professional development
• GCU has been recognised for its commitment to gender equality by attaining Advance HE’s Athena Swan Institutional Silver Award

GCU is host to the WiSE Centre for Economic Justice. The centre conducts research into economic equality, new economics, public policy, gender, social history, poverty, migration and human rights issues under the broad theme of economic justice.