Today we celebrate International Women's Day - 8th March 2021

At Covernet we are very passionate about our team and today as we celebrate International Women’s Day, we took the opportunity to ask our female colleagues what inspires them in today’s world amongst some other things.  

Laura Grimes, Software Developer here at Covernet was very passionate about the topic and kindly volunteered to shares her thoughts.  

Laura today is International Women’s Day what does this mean to you or what inspires you about the day’s celebrations? 

The theme for International Women’s Day this year is #ChooseToChallenge, focusing on the importance of challenging the gender stereotypes, bias and inequality which is something that I strive to do in my everyday life. I consider myself a feminist and creating a world in which every girl/woman has the same opportunities and rights as their male counterparts drives me to make the choice to challenge the everyday sexism and gender stereotypes that appear in my everyday life.  

Do you have a female role model(s) you look up to?  

Women like Michelle Obama, Malala Yousafzai and Reese Witherspoon who have used their position to advocate for women’s rights amongst these a woman’s right to an education provide me with a sense of hope that the next generation will have less of a battle to fight when it comes to the rights and equality of women everywhere.   

From a work perspective what inspired you to get into software industry? 

My determination to breakdown gender norms and stereotypes, most likely subconsciously influenced my decision to take up a career in software development. I had always had a keen interest in computers and having went to an all-girls school (St. Cecilia’s College in Derry) I had always been encouraged to go down the path of computer science in some ways. Knowing that the tech industry was very male dominant did not put me off wanting to become a software developer, after all the world’s first programmer Ada Lovelace was a woman, if anything it made me more interested in a career within the industry.  

Tell us one of your favourite or most inspirational quote?  

‘Empowered women, empower women’ is a quote that I attempt to live by.  

What is your proudest work / non-work achievement to date? 

Through my work as a youth worker and my time spent working at an all girls summer camp in upstate New York I try to encourage young women to use their voices, to embrace their power and never let the world silence them, and if I have done this for at least one young girl it will have been my greatest achievement and my life’s honour.