“Before this experience, I assumed engineering was mainly cars.”
Engineering had never felt like something that belonged to someone like Rachel. It was narrow and mechanical. A world of engines and things she couldn’t quite see herself in.
Then, through her school, she took part in a Cambridge LaunchPad Project Day at TTP.
She was asked to think about how a syringe could make fat grafting easier, and possibly more precise. It was engineering, but not as Rachel had imagined it. It was medical, creative and, most importantly, a way of solving problems that could change someone’s life.
That day led to an interview, and then to a week of work experience at TTP. There, Rachel saw how wide engineering could be, and how many different kinds of thinking it brought together.
Now, she is applying to study general engineering at university. She has also been awarded the TTP Future Scholarship.
“I would love to have a career developing medical equipment,” she says. “Alternatively, I could see myself doing consultancy engineering, as that would have a wide range of things to get involved in.”
Her one day with TPP didn’t decide Rachel’s future for her. But it did open a door. It helped her see a version of engineering she didn’t known existed, and a place for herself inside it.
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