She’s only 11, but Poppy O’Brien is already making a name for herself in the tech world.
Despite her tender years the Longdendale High School pupil is taking her learning to the next level.
Not only is she a proficient coder, Poppy is showing talent for design - after creating an eco housing system for a school project - as well as producing a magazine to mark 50 years since the moon landing.
If that wasn’t enough, she’s also an aspiring actress who you might recognise as the star of the new BT Beyond Limits advert, which aims to offer digital training to ten million adults and youngsters across Britain.
By combining her two passions - drama and science - Poppy hopes to encourage other young people, especially girls, to take up STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects and work towards a future career in tech.
“Girls should have the same opportunities as boys because they are just as smart - maybe even smarter,” she told the Manchester Evening News .
“Gender doesn’t matter when it comes to these subjects.
"In the past, they have been associated with boys, but today girls have more opportunities to get involved and pursue careers in STEM subjects.
“The future will require everyone, girls and boys, to have strong STEM skills for inventing new systems, and for solving problems such as climate change.”
Ever since she can remember Poppy, from Mottram, Tameside, has enjoyed using computers, and, thanks to encouragement from her mum Clare, her talent flourished after taking up training courses in coding.
Poppy said: “I first tried coding at CoderDojo at The Sharp Project in Manchester, which is a coding club, and I was shown how to code in Minecraft, but also use Scratch and Bee Bots.”
Poppy has also completed the Skills for Life Barefoot Coding course, which delves into World War Two code cracking as well as offering tips on how to keep safe online.
But it’s not just coding that Poppy enjoys. One of her favourite places to visit is Jodrell Bank - home to the annual music and science festival Bluedot.
“I go to Bluedot every summer with my family. They have an area all about science and technology, with fun experiments to watch and get involved with,” she said.
“This year Manchester University were there and we got to use small robot bugs that responded to colour coding paths. We also got to experiment with a smart robot called Pepper.”
Poppy, who attends the Oldham Theatre Workshop for drama lessons, explains how learning about technology will also be important for a career in acting.
“Technology already is a big part of it,” she explained.
“I don't always have to go to an audition in person - I can record a self-tape on a phone and send it by email.
“And actors could be filmed in a studio anywhere and placed into a scene using CGI. This technology was used in Star Wars film Rogue One.
“In the future, it will mean actors can perform in a theatre and they could be projected onto a stage as a hologram.”
To prepare for her advert, which features a rendition of Charles Dickens classic A Tale of Two Cities, Poppy had lots of reading up to do.
“I had learnt the opening from A Tale of Two Cities, which I recited in the advert, but each line was filmed separately in each individual scene," she explained.
“I got to travel to different locations around London to film each scene, so managed do a bit of sight-seeing as well.
“I think the advert is about the pros and cons of technology - how it can be our downfall, such as people being glued to their phones and not interacting, but also how it can be used for good by making sure children like me have the tech skills we need to help change the future.”
The ad sees Poppy walk down a dark road before the street lights switch on and she begins reciting the famous opening lines.
Technology can be seen buzzing around her - from smart cars to drones - before she steps into her school classroom ready to learn.
The launch of Poppy's Beyond Limits ad includes a commitment from BT to offer digital skills training to five million primary school children as part of the company's Skills for Tomorrow programme.
Poppy’s mum Clare, 45, said: “Everyone is asking if I am proud of Poppy for being on TV, and yes of course I am - but I am more so because of how it is leading the way for young people to learn about technology - especially girls, which is really important.
“Hopefully she will inspire others to take up a future career in the industry.”
To find out more about the campaign and how to get involved, visit bt.com/beyond-limits .
