Breaking barriers in STEM: Graduate Faith’s mission to inspire more women in engineering

Faith Holbrook was inspired to go into higher education after seeing the impact that injuries sustained in childbirth had on her mother.

And now, having graduated with a Masters degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of South Wales (USW), the woman from Ebbw Vale wants to use what she has learned to improve lives, especially in healthcare and assistive technologies sectors.

Having gone to school in Ebbw Vale, and then completing her BTEC and HND at Cross Keys College, Faith did her degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at USW, before moving on to do her Masters.

Attending University wasn’t, however, something which came easy to Faith.

“When I started I was one of only a few girls in the class, I was shy and reserved and often wore headphones and sat at the back,” she said.

“But being on the course, and with other people doing the same thing, helped me become more confident, engaged, and proactive.”

As well as helping with her studies, Faith’s newfound confidence also opened doors to wider opportunities.

During her time at USW she has worked an award-winning project to monitor air quality, on the use of robotics in healthcare setting with a Wales-based health board, and flew to Japan – her first time on an aeroplane – to take part in the World Smart City Programme.

She also worked as a research engineer at USW, was part of the University team which attended the Wales STEM Awards, helped organise the UK Space Agency’s Space Camp at USW, supported the University’s Rocketry Society, and was a student ambassador, presenting robotics work at University open days.

Having developed both her academic and personal skills, Faith is hoping to go on to build a career in the sector.

“My biggest interest is the pure fact of how useful electronics can be,” she said.

“My mum developed disabilities after complications during birth, which has always motivated me, and my experience at USW with the air monitor and healthcare support systems has given me more experience in these areas, and I’ve seen the difference engineering can make to help people like her.

“I want to work somewhere I can make a difference. That’s the goal.”

Faith is also keen to share her experience as a female in the STEM field, and to encourage more women and girls to pursue their interest in the subject.

“If I could be seen as someone others look at and say, ‘I can do that too,’ that would mean the world,” she said.

“I’ve been in meetings where I was the lead, and people still turned to my male colleague for answers. That needs to change.”