Students at St Mary’s Junior School, Cambridge were visited by Ann Bradshaw, who has worked as a Press Officer for many years for a number of Formula One teams, including The Arrows and Williams.
Ann Bradshaw visited in celebration of International Women’s Day. She talked to the girls about her varied career, how she has progressed in her chosen field and her experience of working in a typically male dominated industry.
Deirdre O’Sullivan, Headmistress at St Mary’s Junior School, explained: “We were honoured to welcome Ann Bradshaw, who had many inspirational stories to share with our students about her career. The theme for this year’s international celebration is connecting girls, inspiring future, for which Ann is a fantastic advocate.”
Ann Bradshaw commented: “I think it’s important that we show young women that they are able to achieve whatever they want to achieve in life, that there are no boundaries when it comes to choosing your career. For me working in a male dominated arena has been very positive, I have felt supported throughout my career and never felt at a disadvantage because I was female – I would love to inspire these girls to try a more typically male career!”
Charlotte Avery, Headmistress at St Mary’s School, added “International Women’s Day is an important event in our school calendar. At St Mary’s we feel it’s important to celebrate the academic, political and social achievements of women. We always encourage our girls to look forward to their future, consider the career paths or roles they may like to take and how to achieve these.”
International Women’s Day 2012 will be celebrated throughout St Mary’s with a range of activities and talks in place to mark the occasion. Senior School students will receive an assembly about the significance of an Afghani woman putting herself forward to be the next President of Afghanistan.
International Women’s Day has been celebrated for over 100 years and began in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. Today it is celebrated across the globe to inspire and celebrate women’s achievements.
Photo caption: Ann Bradshaw with Year 3 St Mary’s students at her talk of International Women’s Day.