Former President of Ireland and current chair for elders Mary Robinson will speak to over 3,000 female teenage students at the 10th annual I Wish Showcase at the RDS Dublin next month.
Joining the Ballina native at the annual event on February 8th, that aims to inspire teenage girls towards careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) will be Irish science communicator, scientist and entrepreneur Ciara Judge, who spoke at the first I Wish event in 2015 after her BT Young Scientist Award and Google Science Fair wins.
Over the last 10 years, I Wish has engaged with over 60,000 students along with partnering with over 50 industry partners and 80 I Wish ambassadors. Female students in County Mayo are encouraged to sign up for the I Wish STEM Showcase 2024, with registration for the free event still open at iwish.ie/register.
Multi-award-winning diversity and inclusion speaker and author, Furkan Karayel will also speak at the event while MC is 2FM DJ and the new host of Ireland's Fittest Family, Laura Fox. More speakers will be announced in the coming weeks. There will also be over 30 exhibitors including Deloitte.
The upcoming 2024 I Wish Showcase aims to shift the narrative surrounding careers in STEM. In their recent Report, I Wish identified a significant gap where many girls struggle to connect their work-related values with the perceived values of a STEM career. The Showcase will address this by featuring inspiring STEM role models who exemplify how careers in STEM can fulfill the work-related values these young women seek, including opportunities to travel, maintaining a healthy work-life balance, and making a positive contribution to the world they inhabit.
I Wish has extended its partnership with Iarnród Éireann and Bus Éireann for 2024, with complimentary train services from multiple locations across Ireland along with busses from Cork and Kildare. Busses will also be transporting students to and from Heuston Station on the day.