Looking out
GSA Woman of the Year 2019 Sue Hincks admires the diversity at the heart of GSA pupils’ choices Girls from 150 Girls’ Schools Association (GSA) schools have selected a shortlist for their latest Woman of the Year awards. The eight women in the public eye are: fashion model, Adwoah Aboah; computer scientist Dr Katie Bouman; BBC Blue Planet II producer Orla Doherty; journalist and documentary maker Stacey Dooley; philanthropist Katie Piper; climate change activist Greta Thunberg; tennis champion Serena Williams; and the education activist Malala Yousafzai. This shortlist includes women with multi-faceted interests embracing diverse walks of life from fashion to broadcasting to political campaigning. It demonstrates that the girls in our schools have a global mindset and an awareness of world-wide issues, comprising, as it does, women from other countries and women whose work and campaigning embrace universal
issues, such as how we look after our environment and indeed our planet, our exploration and understanding of space, and enabling girls around the world to access what we in the UK see as their fundamental right to education. I’m also heartened to see the great cultural and ethnic diversity of the nominated women. This reflects the equally diverse mix of students in Girls’ Schools Association schools, which in turn echoes the diversity of the UK population as a whole. It’s vital that children of all backgrounds have role models with whom they can identify, and of course it’s just as important that the same children are able to recognise and celebrate the fact that strong, successful women can come from a whole range of cultural and ethnic backgrounds which do not necessarily mirror their own. This is one of the ways in
British fashion model Adwoah Aboah founded the online support platform Gurls Talk, following her personal experiences managing her own mental health.
BBC producer and underwater filming expert Orla Doherty produced the BBC’s Deep Sea episode of the award-winning Blue Planet II series.
As a young black British female, I think Adwoah Aboah is a great role model. Not only has she been highly successful in her field, she has had to overcome things, like her battle with depression from a young age. I love how she hasn’t hidden it from the media and is trying to bring mental health into the mainstream through her organisation Gurls Talk. In an industry where so many people expect you to look or act a certain way, it’s really nice to see someone being so honest about their insecurities, and to see her speak up for young people with mental health issues. Keisha (age 17), Woldingham School (Surrey)
Orla Doherty’s fearless travel to the depths of Antarctica, and the story of how she learnt to dive and gained a passion for marine life, going on to make Blue Planet II, which impacted millions of people and kicked off a global movement for marine conservation, really helped me realise that any small things I can do, such as beach cleans and being aware of how I use the ocean, can make a real difference and help to save the sea and marine life I have grown up with and love. Danielle (age 18), The Ladies College (Guernsey)
American computer scientist Dr Katie Bouman led the development of an algorithm for imaging black holes and was a member of the Event Horizon Telescope team that captured the first image of a black hole. We were all very inspired by Dr Katie Bouman. We conducted extensive research into all that she has achieved and learnt a great deal ourselves. She is such an inspirational role model for someone so young and has achieved so much already in her career. Isabella, deputy head girl Rosie, head girl Chelsea and Elanor (age 17/18), Manor House School (Surrey)
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Autumn 2019
