This week’s Wednesday’s Women in STEM series features Ishaana Rao, an international student who has studied STEM in Luxembourg and Singapore. Read on to hear how she rephrases hard thoughts to make them a fun challenge instead!
When did you first become interested in STEM?
I first became interested in STEM when I joined my school’s middle school science club after being urged by my female science teacher. From there, I learned about different concepts as well as robotics and competition opportunities! It inspired me to take my learnings to the next level and design a website.
Where did you go to school and what did you study?
I went to school in Luxembourg at the International School of Luxembourg, and am currently studying at United World College of South East Asia in Singapore. An interesting story I had in Luxembourg was when I competed in a robotics competition with my friends- we were the only all-girls team there and still managed to win awards for the best attitude despite coming in second-last place! We learned so much from the experience and were able to note improvements down for the next time around – something that is crucial to STEM, if you make a mistake, you always have the chance to improve!
What is your current career and how do you use your interests in STEM on a day-to-day basis?
My current profession is a student, however, on a day to day basis I make use of my passion for STEM. As I am taking Higher Level Physics, Standard level chemistry, and Higher level Mathematics, I will need to employ the uses of STEM everyday at school! I use my interests in STEM to motivate me to continue to persevere and learn things at a higher level, especially when it comes to tough concepts and content. I realize that my love for STEM surpasses anything that tells me ‘this subject is too hard, I don’t want to do it!’ and replaced it with, ‘although it’s hard, it will be exciting to learn something new!’
What do you like most about your current job? What do you find most challenging?
I am currently a student, however, I think the most challenging part in terms of STEM is seeing the lack of women pursuing careers and subjects in STEM because of the negative connotations and stereotypes surrounded by them. For instance, my computer science class had 6 girls as opposed to 13 boys! It would be much better if the girls were encouraged and exposed to STEM-related activities at a younger age so they are able to cultivate a love for it early on.
What advice would you give to young girls who are interested in pursuing STEM activities or careers?
My advice to younger girls would be to ignore the gender-based stereotypes, as well as the personality-based stereotypes associated with women in STEM. If you’re interested in it, follow that passion and don’t be ashamed of liking something that maybe not everyone else likes! It is also important to surround yourself with role-models and people who think the same as you.
I am currently located in Singapore, but would be happy to contact anyone no matter where they are online if they have any questions!