Raising aspirations for women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
My name is Celine and I'm working on my Master's in Petroleum and Gas Engineering.
Growing up in Lebanon it wasn't very common for girls to study things like engineering. Most of the people I know studied business and economics. I however, went down a different route by studying Geology. I was inspired to study Geology by my older cousin. She was studying it at university and when we were together, she used to talk about her course and make it sound very exciting. I started reading more about it and realised it was an area I wanted to pursue.
Lebanon has a growing market in Petroleum and Gas Engineering as we have recently discovered oil fields. With my background in geology I felt like it was a good fit and where I wanted to further my studies.
My parents are very supportive of my decision to study engineering. Actually, both of my parents have a scientific background. My father studied physics and my mother took chemistry. Growing up literature and languages were not my best subjects in school so they really encouraged me to concentrate on science. Although they allowed me to make choices on my own and even though Petroleum Engineering is male focused in Lebanon they still supported me.
The women in STEM campaign is new to me. I learned about it from one of my Lecturers here at the University of Portsmouth. After reading up on the campaign, I hope that more women are encouraged into STEM courses. If there's something that you want to study, you should just go for it. Women shouldn't be restricted by their gender!
This blog post was written by Celine Eid, Lebanon.