International Day of Women and Girls in Science
Today marks the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, a day that highlights the gender gap in STEM and advocates for the equal participation of women and girls in science. This year’s theme, “From Vision to Impact: Redefining STEM by Closing the Gender Gap,” encourages us to move beyond simply raising awareness and take action to remove barriers, so everyone can thrive equally.
While progress has been made, women are still less visible in many STEM fields, especially in senior and leadership roles. This gap is not due to a lack of ability or ambition. Instead, it comes from structural challenges such as unequal access to education, limited role models, bias, and learning environments that don’t meet the needs of all learners.
As the world becomes more digital, these barriers can grow even stronger. Digital learning tools play a key role in who gets to participate. When these tools aren’t accessible, talented learners can be left out before they even get started.
At Brickfield, we believe inclusion starts with accessible education. By helping institutions improve digital accessibility and support learner confidence, we help create real and lasting change. Today, we celebrate the women on our team. Their skills, leadership, and dedication shape our work every day and make a real difference. We asked them what inspired them to pursue careers in technology and what advice they’d give to young women considering STEM.
Karen Holland: CPO & Co-founder
What inspired you to pursue a career in technology, and what keeps you motivated?
I was drawn to the logical puzzle-solving aspect of software coding initially as a fun challenge. However, what motivated me was finding my ability to build cool webpages, then interactive webpages, then entire systems with processing behind those webpages. Technology enables solutions, engagement, service provisions, and so much more. Nowadays, I help roadmap systems with accessibility and user experience (UX) designed interface concerns at their heart, ensuring that our technology is user-friendly, inclusive, and provides solutions to users.
What advice would you give to young women or girls considering a career in STEM?
STEM has lots of opportunities, especially in innovating creative ideas. There are so many avenues within STEM to consider, whether it’s product defining, coding, testing, security, designing, documentation writing, training, customer support, client engagement – they all contribute to whichever product or service is being run. Get some initial experience in one of the many great Open Source projects out there. I’d highly recommend Moodle, as a great learning platform product with an amazing community of developers, educators, and communicators.
Kara Conger: North American Lead
What inspired you to pursue a career in technology, and what keeps you motivated?
My passion for technology began with a curiosity about how digital tools can solve real-world problems. In college, I saw how strategic use of technology could transform education by levelling the playing field through access to high-quality learning, personalised support and removing time and geographical barriers to learning. That sense of empowerment inspired me to keep exploring new ways to blend innovation with practicality.
What keeps me motivated today is helping others succeed. Strategic use of technology could transform small businesses, giving them the same competitive edge as larger organisations. Technology evolves constantly, and every new development is a chance to rethink how we work, connect, and create value.
What advice would you give to young women or girls considering a career in STEM?
Believe that your voice and perspective matter, because they do. STEM fields thrive on creativity and problem-solving, and diversity of thought is essential to real innovation. Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know; instead, nurture your curiosity and keep learning. Seek mentors, ask questions, and surround yourself with people who lift you up. Your journey might not follow a straight line, but every step builds the confidence and experience that make you uniquely valuable. You belong in the room where technology is shaped.
Laia Canet: Customer Success Manager
What inspired you to pursue a career in technology, and what keeps you motivated?
Although my background is in the humanities, I’ve always felt a natural connection with technology. It has become a tool and a space for teaching, learning and creating new opportunities. I was inspired by the chance to experiment, explore new ways of doing things and adapt to different contexts.
Technology also enables me to learn something new every day. It motivates me to stay up to date, rethink how things can be done and help others to work differently — and, hopefully, better. I’ve learned that you don’t need a purely technical background to contribute meaningfully. Hybrid perspectives are essential, particularly when technology aims to reduce barriers, broaden access and create more inclusive environments. None of this happens alone, though: collaboration and diverse voices strengthen the work.
What advice would you give to young women or girls considering a career in STEM?
Rather than offering only advice to those who are already considering a STEM career, I would encourage all women and girls to develop a broad knowledge base. Having an understanding of a variety of subjects helps us to maintain a humanistic perspective and see the world through multiple lenses. STEM becomes even more meaningful when combined with curiosity, critical thinking and different ways of understanding the world.
I would also remind them that they fully belong in these spaces. There is no single ‘right’ profile for STEM — your perspective is valuable. Stay curious, seek out supportive communities, collaborate openly and trust that your voice has a place in shaping the future of technology.
Annabelle Snow: Marketing Coordinator
What inspired you to pursue a career in technology, and what keeps you motivated?
My path into technology wasn’t traditional. I studied psychology at the University of Birmingham because I’ve always been fascinated by understanding how people think and what drives them. This curiosity naturally led me towards marketing, where I could combine insights about human behaviour with practical communication.
What really drew me to the tech sector, and specifically to Brickfield, was realising how much technology affects our daily lives. Technology is constantly evolving and everyone uses it all the time, whether it’s learning online, working, or just staying connected. I wanted to be part of making sure that as technology grows and changes, it works for everyone, not just some people.
What keeps me motivated is knowing that our work at Brickfield directly helps remove barriers for learners. When digital tools aren’t accessible, people get left behind before they even start. Helping spread awareness about accessibility and learning barriers is meaningful and impactful.
What advice would you give to young women or girls considering a career in STEM?
Don’t feel like you need to follow a “typical” STEM path. People always think of the traditional routes into STEM, like computer science or engineering, but there’s a place for everyone. I studied psychology, not coding or biology, and I still found my place in STEM.
Follow what genuinely interests you, even if it seems unconventional. If you care about helping people, solving problems, or making things work better, there’s absolutely a place for you in STEM and technology. Put yourself out there. As women, it can be hard to move beyond bias, but don’t let that hold you back. There’s real power in breaking into areas where women traditionally haven’t been represented. Some of the most important work in STEM is about making sure everyone can access and benefit from it. As women in these fields, we should represent that in our work and show others what’s possible.
Closing Thoughts
Evidently, there’s no single path into STEM. Whether you start with psychology, humanities, or coding, what matters is your curiosity and commitment to solving problems that make a difference.
At Brickfield, we believe technology works best when it’s built by diverse teams with different perspectives. That’s how we create tools that truly work for everyone.
If you’re a young woman considering STEM, know that there’s space for you here, and for the unique perspective you’ll bring with you.
