tehk-n-tea

tahanni |  self-discovery | student with an interest in tech and a love for tea 

[tehk-n-tea]

Dreamforce 2017 with @Stemettes: My experience

What is it?

The countdown was on. After many weeks of waiting, then waiting and waiting some more, the week had finally arrived. November 7th – November 11th. A one week trip exploring the city of San Francisco, California and attending Dreamforce- “ the largest software conference in the world ”. And let me tell you, the conference lived up to its title. As well as all the amazing free SWAG we were able to pick up with each visit to the Convention centre ( a lot of it), we were seated listening to some inspirational keynotes by some pretty cool people.. some of whom include Marc Benioff himself, Michelle Obama, WILL.I.AM, and JR. 

- (above) day one at the convention centre, where the doors lead off into the magical world of tech...

- (above) #fabfive and mascot looking extremely poised...

- (above) shaky photo following Michelle Obama’s discussion on education and empowering the youth :)

Who?

5 girls interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths). The idea of travelling across the ocean to another country with 7 strangers sounds pretty crazy, but we immediately bonded and it honestly felt like I’d known these girls for a long time. (Shouts out to Kelsey, Telsia, Sharmin and Sofia 😉 as well as Anne-Maire, Charlotte and Yasmin for being THE best organisers ;) ). We stayed in the heart of Fisherman’s Wharf- so there was plenty of sight seeing to get done during the warm SF days.

 - (above)  #fabfive after our coach journey across the Golden Gate and landing in Muir Woods

During the trip STEMETTES organised visits to Facebook (we saw Mark twice and tried to internalize our excitement), Slack, Bloomberg and Dropbox, where we met with countless females working in STEM and got to q&a about their jobs and roles. I can definitely say that this part of the trip impacted me the most as I was able to see first-hand the things I could explore in my journey into STEM.

 - (above) rooftop view @facebook #whereTheFreeFoodAt :)

Although there were some minor inconveniences ( suitcases breaking and bags lost) which became a running joke during the trip *cough* sharmin *cough*) , food order mishaps ( which also became a running joke during the trips on my part *cough* sirloin tips *cough*), the trip ran pretty smoothly and we were able to do some incredible tourist-y things. One of my favourite parts was visiting Muir Woods (click here to read a bit of history) where we explored a long trail, as well as visiting the infamous Alcatraz Island (click here) and seeing some jaw-breaking views while on an audio-tour. One more jaw-breaking thing, the food…*drools*. It didn’t take long for stomachs to adjust to the whole new world that is American food, but one thing for sure is you do get your money’s worth 😉 Let’s just say that by the time we were off the plane and back in Heathrow many of us were waddling…

 - (above) Alcatraz prison exterior. It was just as eerie inside as it looks here...

- (above) the interior of the prison was just as eerie...

- (above) (wo)man vs tree...@ muir woods

The biggest impact this trip has had on me?

The biggest impact this experience had? Literally being in the STEM environment was what impacted me the most- seeing all the possible routes I could take and the fact that I could incorporate my love of the humanities/social sciences into STEM. I’ll admit that I was initially really hesitant about even applying but it was because of the encouragement and persistence from my mentor Kerry that I decided to take a shot. If you are a sherpee part of the Student-to-Stemette program and are even considering entering the competition, go for it. I honestly doubted that I’d be considered a place, and when I opened up the email from Yasmin saying I’d won I almost dropped my phone in disbelief ( I was in a swimming centre changing room if you’re curious, and I think people would be quite concerned if they heard muffled squealing from a changing room). Don’t doubt yourself. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I wouldn’t have even imagined possible without the Stemettes. Although our #FabFive experience is over, the memories will live on in our minds…and in the hundreds of photos we took. Literally.

- (above) fist experience of an all-american diner.. 10/10 would do again (how could I not include this)

- (above) the magnificent Golden Gate Bridge fading off into the fog...

- (above) magical night-time view from Saucalito 

- (above) views from Alcatraz overlooking the city skyline

_____________________________________________________________

Here are a couple of links to Youtube videos of the Key Notes if you’re interested in finding out more:

Marc Benioff Keynote: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQj0SojEX0M

Equality Summit: The Path To Equal Pay: A Conversation With Natalie Portman  : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgjYWU-BgWs

Equality Summit: Authentic Leadership https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_58LNSmUoAo

If you’re interested in reading the experiences of some of the other girls, check out the links below:) :

https://kelsey-pie.tumblr.com/post/168237350540/dreamforce2017

[bled]

[yoursummerdreamz]

[just-shower-thoughts]

The division symbol, ÷, is just a blank fraction. You replace the dots with the numbers.

[bisexuanal]

[tehk-n-tea]

#GHC17: Grace Hopper Conference Entry @Stemettes

Stage 1:

For stage one ​we would like you to engage with friends, family, teachers, peers, Sherpas, mentors etc - otherwise known as your network.

We want you to promote STEM and encourage more girls to explore the amazing possibilities of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths - like you are.

We live in a digital age, surrounded by technology. It’s everywhere- in our homes, on our desks... under our pillows at 3 am after a netflix binge of a 3 season long show when we know we have a 9am class the next day. Something I’m interested in finding more about is computer science- that’s my STEM pathway. I found out about computer science by myself. I grew up in an all-girls school, and I was not lucky enough to be exposed to the amazing world that is STEM. I didn’t know much about engineering, at all- in fact when I thought of an engineer the first thing that came to mind looked a little like this:

Now this image may be true of some, but it isn’t the case for all. I didn’t know of the amazing network and community of women and girls my age because there was no spreading of STEM. Being in a mix-gendered sixth form connected to an all-girls lower school, I decided to share STEM in a fun way!

In light of international Women in Engineering Day, I created a presentation to share to year 10 students in hopes of inspiring them to find out more about STEM and giving them confidence to try hard in STEM subjects! The positive feedback I received from teachers and most importantly the students gave me an even greater push to spread STEM. Slides from the presentation are as below :)

Sharing the world of STEM is something I am really passionate about. As someone who was never introduced to the world of STEM growing up at school, I feel a need and responsibility to send this message to young girls.

I also created some posters around the sixth form as well as the lower school, about STEM-y things to do in the summer!

Stage 2:

“Communicate the benefits you’ve gained from your Sherpa and from being a part of the stemettes by telling your story!”

When reflecting on my Student to Stemette experience I thought about how much I've grown from the first day of meeting my amazing, inspirational mentor.  I recreated growth within the four month programme, from the first month to the last, by doing paintings to signify each month. I’ve explained the meaning behind each picture and my journey in the audio below  :). 

https://soundcloud.com/user-938252191/stage-2-tahanni-hussein

Month 1: Autumn

Month 2: Winter

Month 3: Spring

Month 4: Summer

Some quotes that speak for my mentorship experience with Kerry :)

“A lot of people have gone further than they thought they could because someone else thought they could.” - Anonymous  

“A mentor is someone who sees more talent and ability within you, than you see in yourself, and helps bring it out of you.” - Bob Proctor

Note: I recorded myself painting and was going to edit a time lapse with a voice over, but due to technical INCONVENIENCES this idea had to be re-thought! :)

__________________________________________________

Stage 3:

a) Why do you think it is important that companies like Deutsche Bank and Stemettes give girls the opportunity to attend a conference like the Grace Hopper Celebration?

“The Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing is the world's largest gathering of women technologists.” 

Being one of the four in my old college’s computer science class, and being the only student interested in pursuing computer science@uni in my sixth form, there are not many opportunities for students like me in my school. Computer science is a subject that is not taught in most school curriculum- for example, my school does not offer it as an A-level. 

"In secondary school less emphasis is placed on developing girls’ computer science skills as compared to boys.” 

This is the case for many girls interested in STEM.

Another key factor which companies like those mentioned above should give girls the opportunity to attend conferences like #GHC is the fact that many girls do not have STEM role models that they can see and speak to in person. In many instances, schools do not have the funding nor resources to take students to meet inspirational women in STEM; there also aren’t many women in STEM coming into schools to speak about their roles. A conference like #GHC is an encouraging, inspiring, enriching event where WOMEN are the MAJORITY- something which students almost never get to see.

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”

I think involvement is key in impacting young girls the most. This event is not an easily accessible event as it is across the pond and quite expensive for those who are interested. I would not be able to fund a ticket myself, however with companies like Deutsche bank and Stemettes providing a platform for young women to gain even more inspiration and long-term skills, it is possible! 

b) What will your contribution to the Grace Hopper Celebration be?

I hope to use my improved communication skills and the new networking skills I’ve gained to expand my network and not only meet&bond with other amazing women in STEM, but with recruiters and companies at the conference. Aside from spreading the event through the means mentioned below, I hope to document everything I learn and apply them to help my journey into Computer Science.

c) If you get a ticket to Grace Hopper 2017, how will you share your experience when you’re back in UK?

The first medium I will use is this blog here, as I follow and interact with a HUUGE network of women and girls in STEM, specifically technology. I hope to make a blog entry about my experience and skills, insight and inspo gained, as well as share photographs. I will also hope to write on our school blog/website, to reach out to the young students and inspire them to sign up. 

If I’m selected, I will speak about my journey on STS and the GHC celebration.. I will also spread the message by designing posters which I hope to share around the school, as I am a visual person and enjoy designing and creating projects.

As I am a big user of social media I hope to share my experience through this. I will live tweet (@tahannisays) #GHC17 about my experience at the conference and once it is over :) #GHC17.

______________________________________________________________

[tehk-n-tea]

#9percentisnotenough: Why aren’t we talking about it?

It was 6 am. The birds sung sweet harmonic vocals, a sign from the universe to the girl that lay in bed to open up twitter and scroll through the happenings of the day. The wind let in a cool breeze that fanned across the faces of many in London...and my phone alarm let out a blaring *BEEP BEEP BEEP*.

Aside from the usual sudden disturbance of serenity my alarm broke, I woke up feeling pretttttty excited on Friday for two reasons.

One...it’s Friday. Need I say any more? *cue Justin Timberlake’s ‘can’t stop the feeling’* 

And two.. Friday marked International Women in Engineering Day, commencing annually on the 23rd of June, dedicated to recognizing and celebrating the achievements of women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics). 

Millions of women and girls around the world took part in spreading #INWED via social media. My twitter feed was literally flooded with inspirational links to articles and images of encouragement to young women and girls to look into engineering.

I go to a sixth form that is mixed gender, but the lower secondary school is an all-girls school. I decided to spread the message of #INWED in hopes of putting even the SMALLEST bit of confidence into the younger girls around me, to think about STEM differently and encourage them to explore the amazing infinite paths into STEM. Following my presentation to a group of year 10′s I received really great feedback from the teachers and students; girls stopped me throughout the day thanking me for inspiring them- providing inspiration and confidence is something I am really passionate about having not been given much of this when I was in secondary school.

One thing that really shocked me, as a student with an all-female lower school, was the fact that no one. Was celebrating. International women in engineering day. 

There were no assembly’s. No posters around the school spreading the message. I didn’t see any recognition of the day at all. Ok- exam season is among us all and many of us are swarmed with 3 metre high pages of notes stained with coffee and tear drops...but still. I was honestly taken aback, and it got me thinking about one of the hashtags that was most prevalent on social media, specifically Twitter.

#9PercentIsNotEnough. This hashtag comes from the statistics of women in stem: ‘Only 9% of the engineering workforce is female’. This statistic is low, but is it ‘shockingly’ low? Is enough being done to spread STEM to young girls in primary and secondary school? Is STEM encouraged by teachers and educators as much as it should be? 

In my personal experiece growing up in an all-girls school, I can most definitely say that I (and my peers would most probably agree) was not given the knowledge of WHAT engineering was, WHO any female engineers were, WHERE I could go to access inspirational events..to be blunt, I honestly didn’t know WHAT engineering entailed apart from the generic ‘person who builds things’. I wasn’t aware of the HUGE network of women in STEM.. the first image that came to mind of an engineer was pretty much your typical movie screen anti-social male nerd hacking away at a project or computer in their mum’s basement.

I found out more about computer science through my own research and looking up outreach events myself- my school did not aid in this. I can’t say that this is true for all schools, and I am aware of the fact that resources are limited in many. But simple encouragement and the instilling of confidence from teachers to students is something that is lacking in many educational institutions. 

What can be done? The solution?

I’ve come to realise that change won’t happen unless you do. Sitting and complaining is something that won’t achieve an end goal, in this case the goal of sharing the true wonders of STEM and destroying the negative image that STEM is associated with.

Some ideas that I have that I hope would encourage young girls to find out more about stem are as follows:

1) STEM movie club- lunchtime screenings of strong female leads in STEM settings, eg. Hidden Figures

2) Bring an engineer (female) to school day.

3) A-STEM-bly. A week long series of inspirational women in stem, presented in assembly time.

4) More inspirational posters around schools

5) STEM workshops. Lego robot building and programming is something I have done and personally enjoyed.

And there are many many more things I can think of. I want to be the voice that I did not have as a student, unaware of the amazing possibilities and unimaginable pathways that STEM brings. 

_____________________________________________________

This blog entry was much longer than anticipated, but I think I’m making up for the lack of posts the last couple of weeks (I’m a busy woman now ygm). Some ideas I have for future posts are about things close to my heart- living as a type 1 diabetic; the role of social media in issues of confidence in young girls; my experience as a trying (and failing) cook...just to name a few.

Signing off with a quote I heard from an interview of someone I really can’t remember: “Aim for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land amongst the stars’.

[historicaltimes]

Eruption of Sakurajima volcano, the most powerful in twentieth-century Japan, with Kagoshima, Japan in foreground, 1914

via reddit

[insomnolent]

I think that everyone should take a look at these gorgeous drawings representing Women and their accomplishements in Science, by Rachel Ignotofksy - a fantastic illustrator and graphic designer. She also has a lil Etsy shop where she sells her prints here!!!

[nasa]

It’s Women in Engineering Day

Today, June 23 is International Women in Engineering Day. We have many talented women across NASA that contribute to our success to reach for new heights and reveal the unknown for the benefit of humankind.

Happy Int'l Women in Engr Day! Love working @nasa to plan spacewalks, train astronauts, & flight control! #INWED17 #IAmANASAEngineer #nasa pic.twitter.com/pasndXB8sS

— Grier Wilt (@grierlauren)

June 23, 2017

Hearing from them illuminates the vibrant community of dedicated women who play a vital role at the agency. These women have pushed to pursue their dreams and make a difference everyday at NASA. 

Happy International Women in Engineering Day! #INWED17 #IAmANASAEngineer pic.twitter.com/yvhhAzGUYv

— ~Alexandria~ (@DOPECHICKBEATS)

June 23, 2017

We hope that these stories will inspire girls everywhere to reach for the stars and explore the myriad of opportunities available to them through pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Proud to call these awesome @NASA_Johnson women engineers my friends! Happy Int'l Women in Engineering Day! #INWED17 #IAmANASAEngineer @NASA pic.twitter.com/qGSiR2xVFo

— Jenny On Console (@JennyOnConsole)

June 23, 2017

Join us as we celebrate the achievements of our outstanding women engineers.

Happy International Women in Engineering Day!#IAmANASAEngineer #INWED17 #INWED2017 #KSC @NASA_LSP @NASA @NASAKennedy @kelleyjoooones pic.twitter.com/RRCt75ff5g

— Laura P. Rose (@lauraprose)

June 23, 2017

Learn more and hear stories from the Women at NASA community by visiting http://women.nasa.gov.

We are the smart, incredible women of @LockheedMartin that are building @NASA_Orion at @NASAKennedy ! #INWED17 #IAmANASAEngineer pic.twitter.com/HurWOvhYIn

— Chelsea (@Queen_Of_Quarks)

June 23, 2017

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com

[kotsume]

[mekatronica]

View this post on Instagram

Karşınızda 3D Coffee PRINTER 👍☺️

Garson resminizi çekiyor ve 3D Kahve Yazıcıya gönderip kahvenize resminizi basıyor..

#mechatronica #engineering #engineer #amazing #nice #coffee #kahve #successful #robotics #robot #3dprinted #3dprinter #3dyazici #3d #machine #programming #project #repost #program #yazılım #bilişim #bilgisayar #teknoloji #proje #tasarım #tech #technology

[ireth-alcarin]

My trip to Northern Africa this summer was really fantastic. I adore the landscape, nature, culture and art of the countries that are located there. I hope one day I will be able to visit all the countries of Maghreb. 

[tehk-n-tea]

Hackstart 2017 @ UCL

Yesterday my mentor and I attended an event aimed at anyone thinking about/ interested in Computer Science, hosted by the TechSoc at UCL. I found out about this event and similar ones via Eventbrite, which is great for searching subject specific events ranging from Sci&Tech to Health and Fitness. I’ve found loooadsss of great meet-ups through this ^_^

 I set out to leave my house on time, which I did...but i somehow always manage to get lost -__- After trekking back and forth down the long roads of the uni buildings in the early spring heat, I finally made it- sweating, panting and more than slightly out of breath. After being joined by my mentor, the day began! ^_^

- a timetable layout of the day. I was in group C (beginners)

Session one: Music on Raspberry Pi

After being separated into our groups we were all lead out into a computer room, where we began our first session: ‘Music on Raspberry Pi’. We used an open-source programming environment ‘Sonic Pi’ to create, as the title suggests, music. The program was really informative, with tutorials written very well for a beginner.

 I picked it up quite quickly and played around with some beats; my mentor also had a few tries and together we managed to make a pretty cool looping four beat track ^__^ Anyone looking for an up-and-coming DJ hit me up (▀̿Ĺ̯▀̿ ̿) I’m definitely downloading the program and trying out new projects at home!

Session two: How the Internet works

‘How the Internet works’ was the next session,  a one hour presentation by a student who delved into the magic behind websites and computers, and how code is written to build these. It was a really informative session and I visibly remember my jaw dropping at one instance where he showed us the many layers of a simple web page. Mind=Blown. We were given the chance to ask him some questions towards the end, and I learned about why he chose computer science at uni, advice on UCAS applications and side projects, as well as many resources to visit to enhance our coding knowledge, in particular djangogirls and freecodecamp.

- close up of a network of servers... 100s of 1000s!

Session three: The next tech revolution? An intro to Quantum computing

This talk opened up the ideas of conventional computers versus quantum computers, where the latter uses quantum mechanics produce a much more efficient computer that is able to do many calculations at once- much more than the conventional. Since this was only a short session we couldn’t really go into depth, but she did a great job in laying out the basic ideas. In the q&a session I learned that this type of computing is still undergoing much research, and that Toshiba had some already produced and being tested. One thing we all found quite intriguing was trying to visualise what a quantum computer might look like. Our host told us she had even tried googling ‘Quantum Computer’ but alas nothing could be found. Who knows? Maybe in 20 years we’ll find out ◔ ⌣ ◔

- a company that faced much controversy after claiming to have Quantum Computers at a press conference, yet failing to produce them 

Session four: How is it being a computer science student?

The final talk I attended was hosted by another student in his second year of computer science. This talk was mostly aimed at encouraging all of us that attended to pursue computer science at university. We were given advice that I found extremely valuable; right from UCAS applications and making our personal statements stand out, to finding jobs and internships during uni, to post-uni career advice. Here are some notes I made during the talk that stood out to me the most:

computer science has a huge support network- online communities, open courses, events, panels, blogs (─‿‿─)  etc

80% of tech jobs are unposted- meaning connections and doing your own research is key when looking for opportunities to join companies (linkedIn!)

hackathons are some of the best ways to develop your coding skills- they’re open to beginners, free, and so is the SWAG ^__^

computer science is used in everything, from finance to medicine

He also gave us some great tips that he’d give to his younger self, some of which include making the most of online resources, reaching out to people, building your CV and doing your own personal projects. This session was extremely informative and though his enthusiasm and passion I came out of the talk feeling honestly inspired and motivated! 

[elrood]

A tea appreciation post & last week’s spread! The sun makes me so so happy!!! ✨

[tehk-n-tea]

Work experience @ Salesforce: My experience

Earlier this week I got the chance to shadow my mentor for a full day! This was a really exciting chance for me to gain as much knowledge as possible into what sort of STEM careers are out there- and there are a LOT ^__^

The day started nice and early (I might have gotten slightly lost in the building but we’re not gonna speak on that...). I was introduced to my mentor’s colleagues who were lovely, had a few snacks from the (very big) snack bar and then we began! I was initially quite nervous but with questions prepped I soon settled in ^_^

            - Quick cropped video of the area we were working in ^__^

Part one

I met with a database administrator, which I was initially very in the dark about what this type of role entails. I quickly learned that this involves organizing, sorting and backing data using specialized software (though it’s much more than that). I was also given the chance to try out fixing an error in one of the systems, which I’ll admit made me feel prettttty cool...

 We also got to discuss whether she had faced any difficulties being a female in STEM, to which she didn’t experience which I found quite interesting. All in all, learning about this role was most probably my favorite and I’m definitely looking into it! ^_^

Part two

A nice lunch and chat later with my mentor and we were in meeting room no.2, where me met with a sales strategy analyst. He explained his route in education from school through to uni and after, which was really interesting to learn. We then discussed what sort of field I’d be interested in, and I was given very valuable advice about applying to uni and the whole UCAS (university administration) process. I really enjoyed hearing his journey and his advice on being diligent and hard working is something that I will implement into my work ethic.

Part three

With the sun still shining bright and the day coming to an end, commenced our final meeting with two software engineers. This meeting was one I was really looking forward to since I’m interested in taking computer science at uni. I was given a LOT of advice on what sort of things I should to in order to make my UCAS application stronger. I was recommended many websites and resources to practice coding and through hearing their stories I truly realized that computer science was definitely something i wanted to pursue. This meeting was pretty much the eureka moment where the light bulb went on and pretty much everything fell into place (ㆁωㆁ*)

-FIN-

After bidding farewell to my lovely mentor and while sitting on the bus home, I reflected on the day I had. Through the STEMETTES I was able to learn so much more about what STEM really is about and what I’m truly interested in, and I thank both them and my mentor for such a great experience. I encourage all girls in the UK, both young and older, to look into this programme!

[tehk-n-tea]

Your generic first blog post: An introduction

Bonjour! Hola! Marhaba! Konichiwa! Howdy diddily doo? Welcome to my first official blog post! As you can tell via the redbull induced enthusiasm I’m pretty excited to start my official blog ^___^  tehk-n-tea pretty much sums up what I’m into: technology and tea, all types.

My name is Tahanni, I’m 18 and sitting my A-levels. I’m studying Maths, Psychology and English Literature and I hope to take Computer Science at University.

What I hope to put out on my blog?

Study inspo and tips, posts about experiences in my life, general rambles and of course... the occasional food gif to drool over. Enjoy!