“Science is not a boy’s game, it’s not a girl’s name. It’s everyone’s game.” (Nichelle Nichols)
Since 2017, Women in Rail Malaysia has been actively celebrating International Women and Girls Day in Science, celebrated by the United Nations on 11th February every year.
In conjunction with this year’s celebration, Women in Rail Malaysia together with YTL Construction organized two knowledge sharing sessions, “Why STEM, Why not STEM?” with 250 students from SM Al-Amin in Gombak, Selangor and SMK Bandar Baru Sg. Buloh, Selangor on 7th February 2023 and 13th February 2023 respectively.
Speakers included Natasha Zulkifli (Founder Director of Women in Rail Malaysia), Mutiara Zainal Farid (General Manager of Land Administration, YTL Construction), Nazatul
Najla (Director of Corporate Affairs, CMC Engineering), Nur Asiah Izaliza (Trackwork Engineer, MRT Corp) and Annafi Zulkifli (alumni of SMK Bandar Baru Sg. Buloh). They all
spoke about the importance of studying STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and why the students should consider a future career in the STEM space.
In these sessions, the speakers shared their professional journeys as leaders in male dominated industries, the challenges they faced and how they remained positive despite the many challenges that came their way. They also shared their personal journeys as a student and their professional experience on how they arrived at a career in the STEM field.
The Founder Director of Women in Rail Malaysia, Natasha Zulkifli shared her educational background and how even though she possesses a Law Degree, she eventually landed in the rail industry. She also shared the stories behind Women in Rail Malaysia and all the engagements it has conducted to encourage more young children to consider a career in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) space.
Our very own member, Mutiara Zainal Farid who has nearly 15 years of experience in the railway industry also shared her career journey. She explained about current railway trends and the future of rail in Malaysia.
Let’s get more girls interested and excited about science so that we can make the many different STEM sectors in Malaysia a more inclusive and diverse place for all!