6 February 2023
“Inspirational women” was the topic under enthusiastic discussion on Friday 27 January at Go Beyond, the academic enrichment club set up by this year’s Academic Ribbon, Tilda.
Tilda, Upper Sixth
We enjoying listening to four talks about the careers and achievements of six fascinating women from club members.
Laura K, Year 9, gave an insightful look into two scientists who have brought about advancements in genetics. Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their astounding work surrounding CRISPR genome editing technology, which can cut out mutations in a DNA sequence and which has been successful in treating cancer patients.
Alice S, Year 9, recounted the life of her great grandmother, a Jewish woman who was sent to Auschwitz and survived. Stories like these are particularly important as they keep the memory of those affected by the Holocaust alive. As the philosopher George Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
Anna T, Lower Sixth, spoke about the achievements of Alex Morgan and highlighted the gender wage gap between male and female footballers (Morgan is paid around three hundred times less than her male counterparts). However, it is not just Alex’s incredible skills on the pitch which make her inspirational, but also her determination to raise awareness around issues such as homophobia and women in sport.
Finally, Polina T, Year 9, discussed two female Ukrainian poets: Iryna Shuvalova and Yuliya Musakovska. Both have won numerous literary awards and, between them, written ten books of poetry. Polina talked about how their work has regained popularity since the start of the war in Ukraine, inspiring hope for the future.
It was great to end the session with a discussion about what connected all the women: their courage and strength in the face of adversity, even when it felt as though the whole world was against them. We agreed that if it weren’t for their determination it is likely they would never have gone on to achieve such great things.
Thank you to all the members of Go Beyond for throwing themselves into this and every session with such enthusiasm and curiosity. We meet every Friday Week A in the history classroom and all students are very welcome to along and join us. Here are the dates and details of the next few sessions:
Friday 10 February – Debates session (come along with topic suggestions)
Friday 3 March – Cost of living crisis and the importance of budgeting
Friday 17 March – How can journalism remain relevant in the future?