A student from the University of Leeds has made history by becoming the first black woman to graduate from the Chemical and Nuclear Engineering course at the institution.
Georgina Baker has been left feeling "humbled" after she was told of her achievement where she achieved the top grade bracket possible to be awarded a First Class Honours degree.
The 22-year-old decided to study the subject after she became interested in nuclear-related subjects while at college - originally she had wanted to study pharmacy to create medicine.
As well as completing her bachelors degree, Georgina, who moved from Ghana to Liverpool 11-years-ago, also gained a masters degree and a year working in the industry.
'I only know of three women who have passed the course'
She is now calling for more women to consider STEM courses (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) as the industry is still male-dominated with only 15% of female graduates in Engineering.
Georgina said: “I feel humbled, honoured and grateful to have achieved this milestone. I hope it inspires others to follow their dreams and pursue other STEM courses.
“I only know of three women who have passed the course in the past including myself. There’s probably only about 5% of black and ethnic minority people who have taken this exact course as well.
“It was a very challenging course more than it was hard but since its a STEM course and it's expected. Nonetheless, I had my goals and I knew what I wanted to achieve so being the only black woman in the room or at site visits was never going to stop me from achieving the goal.
“I also had a lot of support from my amazing family and friends who made the five-year journey seamless and I love each and every one of them for that.”
A spokesperson for the University of Leeds said: “Gina has been a wonderful student and we are proud of her achievement – as we are with all those graduating from the University this summer. We wish her all the very best for a rewarding career, wherever that leads her.”
