Madrid, 14 February 2022.- As part of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Alastria organised a round table entitled “Blockchain4girls: How to promote careers in STEM?”, during which attendees were able to hear the personal experience of six outstanding women in the #STEM world: María Parga, Nuria Avalos Villamor, Eva Fernández Santidrián, Cristina Martín Lorenzo, Aída Rodríguez Moral and Teresa Alarcos.
María Parga, a mathematician, stressed the importance of role models. She was speaking from experience, as she herself was inspired by a female professor to pursue this career. “We have to see technology up close. It’s not easy to get into these careers because of the obstacles and the lack of knowledge of the work you’re going to do later on. It’s essential to support girls as they make decisions about which career to go into.” Ms Parga is the honorary president of Alastria.
Eva Fernández Santidrián recalls a chemistry professor who may have influenced her to study chemistry, although what she always liked was solving problems. Today she is the head of technological innovation at CaixaBank Tech. She said that we have to fight against the “impostor syndrome”, empower ourselves and be in decision-making positions. “We can inspire families by looking for role models in our day-to-day lives, with our daughters, with our friends’ daughters, by going to schools… It’s worth devoting yourself to science; incredible things await you.”
Nuria Ávalos came to the world of technology through her professional practice. Today she is the director of digital consortia at Repsol and CEO of IndesIA. “We need to work on the way these subjects are taught in schools. We also need to take a practical approach to technology, focusing on #STEM careers to solve problems, rather than looking at it from a technical perspective.”
A book about Marie Curie given to her by her aunt is the first memory that Cristina Martín Lorenzo, CEO of Usyncro, has of her interest in science. “It’s hard to choose a #STEM career when you don’t know what you’re going to end up working on. We need to highlight the wide range of job opportunities these careers offer. You have to trust your instinct, trust in science. The future is digital.”
Aída Rodríguez Moral opted not to study engineering out of apprehension, because it seemed complex and because she had this mistaken idea that being a girl meant she belonged elsewhere. Nevertheless, she has always been involved in tech projects, today at Accenture. “When I started working I realised that without technology there was no future. To break down barriers we have to shed our fear of asking questions, be open to the pleasant surprises that our career path gives us and remain curious.”
Teresa Alarcos, founder of W Startup C, stressed the importance of blazing the trail for future generations of women who want to go into #STEM careers. “Inspiration is mainly found in the family and professional environment. Role models, knowledge of oneself and confidence are tools that help to encourage girls to pursue these careers.”