Talking Topics: Everywoman's One To Watch

We are proud to partner with Everywoman, an organisation that celebrates and advances women in business – one of Talking Tables’ key pillars. Not only that but Everywoman also champions one of our other pillars – mentoring young people. They recently hosted their Everywoman in Tech Awards, celebrating women who are promoting meaningful and tangible technological change. One of the categories was the One To Watch Award wich identifies young game-changers and girls aged 11-18 who are actively making waves in the tach space.

We were really impressed by the nominees for this award and interested to know how they got into technology and what it is they are looking to achieve as they head into their careers. We spoke to Ramneek Ahluwalia, one of the nominees who is an undergraduate student with a bright future ahead of her..

Congratulations on being selected as a finalist for the Everywoman Tech Awards. How did tech become a passion of yours?

Ramneek: Thank you so much! From a very young age, I always loved design and technology and mathematics. I didn’t know exactly that the tech route was the path that I wanted to go down. However, I did know that I wanted to become a product designer/ design engineer, as it not only combined my love of design and creativity, but also that element of really understanding a problem and solving it to the best of my ability.

Technology has always been around me, whether it was from my first Nintendo DS to now with my IPad, and I guess what I love about tech is that it is so versatile, compact and user friendly (most of the time!), which are some of the most key elements of good design. These last two years that we have been in and out of lockdown has really given me time to explore so many options and female communities who are trying to build a support network so that more young females can find their way into the tech industry a lot easier. And to be part of such amazing communities has really given me the stepping stones to be a part of the tech industry. 

How did it feel to be a part of these awards? Was there anyone you were most inspired by?

R: Being a part of the FDM and Everywoman in Tech Awards, was an absolute honour. To be able to meet so many amazing women who are in the career/ industry that I will hopefully be a part of in the next couple of years, was so inspiring and seeing how their work has left/ will leave a grounding for my career was just incredible. For me, all the women were inspiring in their own way, hearing each and every one of their stories not only showed me the struggles and hurdles that they had to overcome to be ‘one of the first’ females working for a tech company many years ago, was amazing to hear about, and made me feel very fortunate to not only be a part of this community, of women who are leaving a legacy behind them for my generation to follow in their footsteps. 

Do you have a plan with what you’d like to do once you leave university?

R: Once I complete my undergraduate degree, I would love to work for a tech company as a design engineer and to be a part of that incredible journey in which a tech product is brought to life. I would also love to support more young females find their way into the tech industry, whether that be through mentoring or even being part of workshops which are held all over the country. I strongly believe that the todays education system, does not at all show what being a part of the tech industry means and how young people can be a part of it. This is something that I would really like to change in the coming years. 

What is one tech trend you are particularly inspired by?

R: The tech trend that I am most inspired by has to be virtual reality (VR). As mentioned I believe that we really do need to change how education is taught today, to not only make it more relevant to today’s world, but to make it more enjoyable and meaningful. And I think VR could help us do this. Imagine going into school to a physics lesson, and putting a VR headset on to learn about quantum mechanics and the arrangement of particles in an atom. Sounds fun right? I believe that VR can really have a positive impact on the way in which young people will hopefully see education in the future.