The NatWest trip was such a great experience and I enjoyed it a lot. Starting the day, we arrived by coach and were greeted warmly by the employees at NatWest. We were given these funny red hats which made the experience feel much more unique. After some refreshments, we played some icebreakers in which we had to draw our partner and pass around that paper which resulted in goofy pictures of us. We hung those drawings on a board. Then we proceeded to go to a different room where we heard the stories of many influential, inspiring women. The stories were all about hard work and how it is working in a male-dominated sector/workplace and doing the course. They also told us how they ended up in their positions of power, such as being the leads of many teams. It was an enjoyable time and we also had time to ask many questions.

After a break, in the afternoon, we were talked to about projects and managers and what it means to do this type of job. After that, we had a lot of Lego which we had to use to make as many projects as we could in short amounts of time, within groups, that would suit an area for athletes. At the end, awards were given to different challenges each group accomplished, while making the projects of Lego infrastructure. Our Year 10 group won the award for our problem-solving skills, which was quite fun. Overall, this trip was such an informative, yet really fun and enjoyable experience that helped me gain insight into different careers. 

Aparna Bisht [10G]

I enjoyed my trip to NatWest as the workers were very welcoming and friendly. I think it was really helpful to me career wise, to help get a look at what life is really like after secondary school; it was really informative for me and hearing the female workers' stories inspired me and helped me understand what it’s like for women in a male-dominated workplace. I had a lot of fun, especially when we were making Lego and had to build a city. Overall, I had a really great time and made some nice memories and also got to know a lot of people better. Hopefully, other people in different schools will also get the same opportunity I did as it really helps build confidence, work on communication skills and become closer with others.  

Nusayba Kasmi [10O]

I found this trip very fascinating; I believe it was a great experience for me and the younger students. It allowed me to hear the stories of different women in tech and their journeys and how they got to where they are. I now understand sectors and areas in tech. This trip also allowed me to interact and communicate with younger students by playing different games, which also helped with my teamwork and leadership skills. Overall, this trip gave me the opportunity to discover more about women in tech and broadened my career options.  

Salma Mohamud [12D]

The trip was very informative and a useful experience as it allowed me to explore my interest in technology in further detail. As well as that, I was influenced by the speakers who shared that their journey to tech was not easy and the hurdles they had to face as women in that industry. This experience was a fun, bonding experience with my friends as well as an educational one, as I learnt that there are many different fields within the tech space, meaning you do not need just be good at IT, but also other skills. 

Hafsa Moalim [12H]