{"id":97944,"date":"2015-03-10T08:46:22","date_gmt":"2015-03-10T08:46:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/4cd.e16.myftpupload.com\/?p=97944"},"modified":"2015-03-10T08:46:22","modified_gmt":"2015-03-10T08:46:22","slug":"create-your-own-progress-female-engineering-students-challenged","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2015\/03\/create-your-own-progress-female-engineering-students-challenged\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Create your own progress\u2019 – Female engineering students challenged"},"content":{"rendered":"

Female engineering students in Ghana have been challenged to refrain from becoming “straitjacket” engineers but challenge themselves to diversify.<\/p>\n

According to Airtel Ghana\u2019s Managing Director, Lucy Quist, \u201cbeing an engineer doesn\u2019t mean you have to be a straitjacket\u2026and most importantly, if you want to lead people whether they are engineers or not, then you definitely don\u2019t have to be a straitjacket at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

She noted that it is advisable for young women to be the trail blazers for others, by creating their own innovative paths rather than strictly following their mentors and predecessors.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnytime someone says to me you are a trail blazer, I say to them, don\u2019t follow me. I don\u2019t want you to do what I have done, I want you to do what I haven\u2019t done\u2026I want you to blaze the trail for someone else,\u201d she stressed.<\/p>\n

Lucy Quist made these remarks when she addressed some female engineering students from the University of Ghana (UG), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and the Ghana Telecom University at Tulip Inn in Accra.<\/p>\n

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The event which was on the theme: \u2018Diversity in ICT under scrutiny\u2019, was organized by Ericsson Ghana to mark International Women\u2019s Day and it was aimed at encouraging young female engineering students to excel in their chosen field and not be intimated by the male-dominated industry.<\/p>\n

Addressing the participants, Lucy Quist observed that in order for women to make the needed impact, they must be willing to explore other opportunities to help them improve and excel at what they do.<\/p>\n

The Airtel Ghana boss admitted that it is quite challenging to excel in a male dominated world but it is never impossible.<\/p>\n

She thus advised that for one to succeed, \u201cyou must make sure your ideas are uniquely different. You fail when you give up,\u201d adding that the only way to be great at something is to remain focused.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe possibility of the impossible is exciting. Understanding yourself matters. Know who you are and figure out what you want. Don\u2019t be a strait jacket. The possibilities are endless free your mind of what people think and let your mind take you where you want to go,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Estelle Akofio Sowah cataloged how she started work in Ghana from Labadi Beach Hotel to Busy Internet and now at Google.<\/p>\n

Estelle shared her four Ps of advice to the\u00a0young female engineers. She mentioned them as Prayer, Patience, Protection and Planning.<\/p>\n

She encouraged the students to feed themselves with positive information always and learn how to deal with people, think critically and how to find solutions.<\/p>\n

Explaining the rationale behind the chosen theme which was \u201cDiversity in ICT under scrutiny\u201d, Jane Egerton-Idehen, Key Account Manager at Ericsson said \u201cdiversity and inclusion is high on the agenda for Ericsson. We are doing this for the women and girls to feel empowered by the stories of great women in society.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Ericsson, one of its priorities is equality for women hence its commitment to change the status quo where women have traditionally been underrepresented in engineering and technology fields.<\/p>\n

It has set an aggressive goal of increasing the number of women who work at Ericsson by 2020 to 30%.<\/p>\n

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By: Efua Idan Osam\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana
\nFollow @osamidan<\/a>
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