Her Voice In STEM —Story Series

Through Her Voice in STEM, we are creating a space to
— hear your real-life stories
— hear about your STEM journey
— and educate everyone about the female STEM experiences.

If you want to share your STEM story, fill up the Her Voice in STEM form. Link: https://forms.gle/kJ4Qjczi51nJKG6o9

Meet Prerana, Recent Computer Information Systems Graduate

Namaste! I am Prerana Mali, a recent graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems (BCIS). My journey towards a career in technology was a natural choice, inspired by my father, a professional graphic designer and tech enthusiast. Graduating with a CGPA of 3.88, I’ve come a long way from my introverted, shy childhood and modest academic performance. Growing up, I struggled to comprehend societal norms and navigate group interactions. It was during this time that a valuable piece of advice from one of my teachers resonated with me: “Wherever you are, you must follow the discipline of that place.” This mantra has been my guiding light, helping me remain grounded and disciplined in all aspects of life. As a woman in STEM, I’ve practiced my skills in web and mobile development, thanks to the support and resources at my college, Apex College.

Throughout my degree, I undertook projects in PHP, Django, and Flutter, pushing my boundaries and embracing new challenges. Along with that, I have practiced Laravel Development and Project Management in my professional life. Currently, I am employed as a Tech Content Writer, but my aspirations extend beyond my current role. In the future, I am looking forward to pursue further studies in Project Management and work in that area. What particularly intrigues me about this career path is its ability to bridge the divide between development and business, offering an exciting intersection where I can make a significant impact. During my academic journey, I had the privilege of connecting with numerous influential individuals, both educators and peers, who motivated me to strive for excellence. Stepping out of my comfort zone has become a personal mission, driven by my determination to defy my former, introverted self. One significant achievement that exemplifies this commitment was my participation in Ace Spectrum 2022, a demanding management fest that required rapid, high-pressure decision-making. Through teamwork, courage, and sheer determination, my fellow teammates and I secured victory, proudly bringing the trophy back to our college. To all the young girls and introverted individuals out there, I encourage you to take gradual steps outside your comfort zone. Embrace the things that terrify you. Your future self, like mine, will look back with pride. I am confident that the 13-year-old Prerana would be immensely proud of the woman I’ve become.

Meet Utsukta, Recent Computer Engineering Graduate

I’m Utsukta Parajuli, and I’ve recently completed my final exams for my Computer Engineering degree. Deciding to pursue my undergraduate degree in computer engineering was a huge step for me. Having grown up in a family where my uncles and brothers were computer engineers, there was always a noticeable lack of strong female role models in this sector. Keeping that in mind, I was determined to pursue computer engineering. I was very excited to see other girls just like me who were just as excited to start this journey. Throughout my college years, I have learned about both hardware and software and gained useful skills in various programming languages. I have learned about Artificial Intelligence(AI) and Machine Learning(ML) which are topics that I have always been fascinated by. Learning how things are designed and how they operate can be very interesting especially when these things are used in our day-to-day life.

But now that I have entered the real world I have come to learn that there is much more than just theoretical knowledge and giving exams. Having good grades is great but what really matters is how much you actually understood during your college years. Real-life success hinges on a deeper comprehension of the subject matter and the ability to apply that knowledge effectively in practical situations. I learned how to problem solve using the knowledge that I have acquired throughout my college years.

Meet Deepti, Final Year Civil Engineering Student

My name is Deepti Malla and I am a recent civil engineering graduate. For me, civil engineering is a discipline that is directly connected to nature, people, and their way of life. Different architectural designs and amazing structures draw my curiosity to the science and engineering behind them. As a thoughtful soul that enjoys being around people, serving those in need gives me immense satisfaction and happiness. By sharing my knowledge, I hope to make a positive impact on society and foster the dreams of young people. “Civil engineering is not good for girls”, was a stereotype I wanted to break. These connecting dots may have led me to pursue civil engineering as a career.

I realized that civil engineering wasn’t as fancy as I imagined. Those assignments, lab reports, drawings, deadlines, exams, results, and sleepless nights. Omg! that hustle and bustle were so real. Besides these, there was a fun part too. I get an opportunity to explore more about civil engineering from different dimensions. There were times when it was not smooth sailing I felt drained and lost, and I wanted to get away from this situation as soon as possible. My family and friends motivated and guided me toward my goal and I started believing in myself as this was a great challenge for me. I feel grateful to be surrounded by such an aspiring group of people. After my graduation, here comes another struggling phase but this time I didn’t allow my self-confidence to die. Currently, I am working as a research assistant at Nutan research and innovation unit. I believe it’s never too late to dream and let your dream to fly high.

I want to say to young girls that if you join the STEM field, there are a lot of miracles to discover along the way. Life is full of surprises and engineering is something I had never imagined I would do, but I feel proud that I am now a part of STEM.

Meet Babina, Final Year Computer Engineering Student

Hello! I am Babina Banjara. I am a final-year Computer Engineering Student from the Advanced College of Engineering and Management.

In a world with a dazzling array of choices, I was never certain about what to choose as my major. For a fact, it was never Computer because as a high school student, I studied Biology. But, the idea that something I create can impact someone across the world now, or in the future, drive my passion for Technology. This led me to pursue my bachelor’s in Computer Engineering.

At the time I started my 1st semester and the second and third, I had a sense that the best part of me is feeling a little hollow, that I have walked the planet in vain. Nonetheless, I always had a long-term vision of my studies and career ahead. I explored LinkedIn, looking for astounding people around the world, and connected with them and I was overwhelmed to see people doing so well in their careers, which provided me with a perfect atmosphere to rejuvenate my confidence by scrutinizing the success stories of amazing women worldwide in STEM. I became part of prodigious communities, Code for Change, Research and Innovation Unit, and Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador. Here, I felt empowered and got opportunities that helped me revisit the reasons I chose this career. I became more determined than ever.

I reckon that with many trials and experiments, you will certainly figure out what you are interested in. I learned everything I wanted to, but I always had a great interest in Machine Learning and AI. I was selected for the AI Fellowship at Fusemachines and I was elated and excited at the same time because the entire process was so tough with the examinations and the interview which I was facing for the very first time. With a lot of assignments, quizzes, projects, presentations, and paper analyses, I feel I was more confident than ever. Very soon, I got a job offer at the company and now I am working as a Machine Learning Engineer at Fusemachines.

At the time I started my 1st semester and the second and third, I had a sense that the best part of me is feeling a little hollow, that I have walked the planet in vain. Nonetheless, I always had a long-term vision of my studies and career ahead. I explored LinkedIn, looking for astounding people around the world, and connected with them and I was overwhelmed to see people doing so well in their careers, which provided me with a perfect atmosphere to rejuvenate my confidence by scrutinizing the success stories of amazing women worldwide in STEM. I became part of prodigious communities, Code for Change, Research and Innovation Unit, and Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador. Here, I felt empowered and got opportunities that helped me revisit the reasons I chose this career. I became more determined than ever.

Meet Ojashwi, Mechanical Engineer and Graphic Designer @ojashwishh

Namaste, I’m Ojashwi Sharma, a Mechanical Engineer by profession and an Artist by heart. From dreaming of flying planes to changing minds to making one and then ending up nowhere close to them is my STEM story.

I graduated from IOE, TU a few months back, and undoubtedly, the things I’ve learned in this post-graduation phase are greater than what I did during my entire 4 years as an engineering student. I have always believed that it is really important for us to look around into aspects that add more value to what we are going to face in the real world than what we write down in papers to score well. This is one of the reasons why I started being professionally active as a writer and graphic designer at the age of 18 years itself. I am often asked how I manage the two completely different fields (Mechanical Engineering and Graphic Design), together. And I believe it is all about Creativity. Creativity helps me think more, it has made me hardworking, and it has been an asset to my self-culture.

I did my Mechanical Engineering with the thought that someday I’ll be working in the development of Aircraft and Aeronautics in Nepal. But gradually, as I explored multiple dimensions, I realized that for a person like me, who wants to contribute more to development I have to look into things that need more attention in the present situation. This was the time when I told myself that my passion for planes made no sense because I cannot help in developing a nation in Sky without developing it on Land. Everything drove me back to questioning myself why I am opting to become a Mechanical Engineer and where will I be leading. While I was looking for answers, I bumped up to being a part of Team Shireto, as a Communications Manager. With this team, as I was surrounded by highly motivated and passionate individuals, I could get a better vision of myself. People looked at me as the only girl on the team but that is not something I am very proud of, instead, it is quite disheartening to see that girls themselves do not take risks, or maybe call it a chance to go, seek, grab and ace the opportunities. Because it was my skills of art that paved my way to Team Shireto, and with this team, I could see where my future is leading as a Mechanical Engineer and now while I am working as an Engineer as well as a seasonal freelancer in graphic design, I am very grateful to that 18 years old kid in me that took a risk and challenged herself to become a part of a competitive real world.

So yes! If you develop your strengths, these strengths will show you the twist that’s going to happen in your story, and trust me it’s the most entertaining story you’d ever be aware of.

Meet Pragyee, Electronics and Communication Engineering Student @pragyee._

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Hey! I am Pragyee Shrestha from Pokhara. I have completed my final semester and now currently waiting for my results. I got an opportunity to work as a research assistance in my college’s research and innovation unit, so these days I am writing a review paper.

I have always been an ambivert, that being said I have a close circle of family and friends where I am most comfortable. At school, I used to like maths and science more than other subjects also used to participate in science exhibitions. I hated accounts, and that’s why I joined the science stream for my +12 studies. I was indecisive and couldn’t choose between Biology and Maths, so I studied both, Biology was fun to study but remembering all the human systems was not an easy task whereas in maths I enjoyed solving the problems. Despite that, I prepared for MBBS entrance exam and with my entrance exam rank I could only choose 3 medical colleges, and I choose not to study there. I had also taken IOE entrance exam, which I didn’t care much at the beginning, but then Physics classes were the most fun for me, I enjoyed learning the semiconductor chapter, so I finally made a choice to join Electronics and Communication Engineering. College was fun, I wanted to be an active student in the college and join a club, so I did join the robotics club. I guess this was the nicest decision that I took, before joining the club I had pretty limited experience on robotics. I was not sure if I would be selected for the club, but after I joined the club I was making bots to participate in the competitions, I was attending almost every fest at the engineering colleges. Not only that, but I was with a great team, we worked for long hours in the clubs, preparing ourselves for the competitions, we did sign MOU with IIT Mumbai and organized a national level competition, panel discussion, webinars and workshops.

I also became the head of the club, and I can feel the growth in me. With all these, my self-esteem was building stronger. Today, I am more confident and optimistic. I would suggest every girl not to be shy or think you cannot because until you don’t try you will never know your potential. Everyone can feel low and demotivated one day, but we should believe in ourselves and push ourselves to be the better version. That’s possible if we want it and work accordingly.

Meet Ila, Computer Engineering Student @il_a_dhikari

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Hello! I am Ila Adhikari and I recently completed computer engineering from Kathmandu Engineering College.

It would be a lie if I told you that I always dreamed of pursuing engineering, that too, computer! As a child, my head always associated engineering with yellow hats and construction sites.; never computers. I always loved creating and designing new things so I thought I’d work in the arts or maybe become an architect. It was not until the 11th grade that I realized that computing had become the “Next Big Thing’. It had brought about a revolution and wasn’t gonna stop any time soon. That’s when I started finding computers fascinating and decided to pursue computer engineering.

Despite everything, the journey wasn’t easy. There have been times when I doubted myself and didn’t know what to do. However, I got involved in inspirational communities like WLiT and NWiC and they helped me improve further. They have made me stronger in every way. Several explorations and internships later, I am still a work in progress, but I am no longer lost. I am confident that I can create an impact in society through STEM.

I am well assured that gender balance is the key to a better tech world. So girls, believe in yourself and give STEM a chance because STEM is the future!

Meet Aayushma, Electronics and Communication Student @aayushma_pant

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Hello! I’m Aayushma Pant, currently studying Electronics and Communication Engineering.

As a child, engineering was not a viable option for me. Throughout my school experience, I was determined to work in biology and want to enter in Medicine field. It was not until I started loving mathematics and Physics. I loved spending my time doing mathematical computations and researching. I realized that I desperately wanted to pursue my career in engineering. Initially, I was scared as it was not as easy as I thought. I doubted myself as I believed I didn’t have enough programming knowledge. However, participation in science fairs and robotics has allowed me to deal with this issue and to work in the engineering industry. I learned more and made effective contributions to various projects. I did internships, obtained scholarships encouraging me to learn and grow. Fast forward and here I am, happier than ever, studying and practicing something I enjoy. I believe there is much more to accomplish, explore and understand.

My advice to all the women in STEM: Never stop yourself learning, every time is precious and remarkable.