Celebrating International Women’s Day at Leicester High School for Girls

Pupils from Years 6 to 13 took part in the event, and we were also delighted to welcome pupils from local schools, making it a wonderful opportunity for young people from across Leicester to come together and hear from inspiring female role models.

The day began with two fantastic keynote speakers. Akshatha Kulkarni, Consultant Gynaecologist and Endometriosis Lead at University Hospitals of Leicester, shared her experiences of working in medicine and spoke about the dedication and resilience needed to build a career in healthcare.

She was followed by Danielle Duncan MIAB, Business Consultant in Education, who spoke about confidence, leadership and the importance of believing in yourself when exploring future career opportunities.

Following the keynote talks, pupils took part in a series of smaller workshops led by women working across healthcare, government, media, business, finance, PR, design, real estate and wellbeing. These sessions gave pupils the opportunity to hear more about different career journeys and ask questions about the paths that had led the speakers to where they are today.

One of the highlights of the day was seeing how engaged the pupils were. The speakers commented on the thoughtful and insightful questions they were asked, and it was clear that the girls were genuinely interested in learning from their experiences.

One pupil commented:
"It was really inspiring to hear from so many women working in different careers. It made me realise there are so many possibilities and that you don’t have to follow just one path."

The day ended with a networking session for our Sixth Form students, giving them the opportunity to speak informally with the speakers, ask further questions and gain valuable advice as they begin to think about their own future careers.

Mark Ryman, Head of Sixth Form and organiser of the event, said:

"It was wonderful to bring together so many inspiring women to speak to our pupils. The girls were incredibly engaged throughout the day and asked some excellent questions. Events like this help our students see the many possibilities open to them and encourage them to think confidently about their future."

Having a day where every speaker was a woman made the event particularly powerful. It was a celebration not only of women’s achievements, but also of the importance of providing young people with role models who can inspire them to imagine what their own futures might look like.

It was a memorable and uplifting way to mark International Women’s Day at Leicester High School for Girls.