One of the educational challenges of today’s society is to increase the presence of students in scientific and technical studies. Despite the efforts made and public and private initiatives, STEM disciplines continue to have a low female representation that limits women’s access to the labor market. According to the Unesco report on the education of women in these subjects, only 35% of students enrolled in careers in these branches are women, data that show the need to continue working in this direction to promote training in this branch among young women in our country.
In this scenario, CaixaBank i Microsoft The WONNOW Awards, which encourage the best undergraduate students in science and technology in Spain, are booming. The fourth edition was recently held, which includes a cash prize of 10,000 euros for the student with the best academic record and 10 paid scholarships to work for six months at CaixaBank, as well as access to a mentoring program. Microsoft. Both organizations seek to contribute with these awards to the development of a fairer society, which is why they consider it very important that there is an equal presence of women with men in all areas of society.
“The winners have an excellent record and an outstanding career”
In this context, the awards help to promote, value and stimulate the excellence, both academic and personal, of women university students in the aforementioned areas, giving social visibility to the effort, tenacity and female capacity in these fields. It also contributes to the promotion of scientific and technological vocations in girls and adolescents, which contributes not only to gender equality, but also to solving the general shortage of vocations in this field.
FOUR EDITIONS
In this fourth edition, a total of 723 students from 65 universities throughout Spain took part, which represents an increase of 108% over the previous year. In total, more than 1,700 students have taken part in the four editions held so far, a figure that shows that these awards have been fully consolidated at the university level.
Gonzalo Gortázar, CEO of CaixaBank, emphasizes that: “The WONNOW Awards promote diversity in an area with a low female presence and great current and future opportunities. We want to continue contributing to the development of people and society as a whole, promoting diversity in the technology industry ”. For his part, Alberto Granados, President of Microsoft in Spain, stated: “Digitization is promoting the creation of specialized employment not only in the technology industry, but in all sectors, which is why there is an urgent demand for to train qualified talent and women cannot be left behind ”. The president of Microsoft has advocated for reducing the gender gap in science and technology from the belief that diversity fosters innovation and growth.
OPPORTUNITIES
From the perspective of CaixaBank and Microsoft, these types of awards address two key issues: diversity and a commitment to technology. In addition, they are a reflection of the values that both entities share, and among which are social commitment, work for equality and the recognition of excellence.
The last winner of the cash prize was Julia Guerrero (Zaragoza). A graduate in Computer Engineering from the University of Zaragoza and a master’s degree in Computer Science with a specialization in Artificial Intelligence from the Albert-Ludwigs University of Freiburg (Germany), she has won the award for best academic record, endowed with 10,000 euros. In addition, you will have access to a mentoring program taught by Microsoft. He said in a statement to the media: “The percentage of women studying technical careers is still very low. And while there are fewer and fewer barriers, stereotypes around these races still exist. Many girls think that this may not be the case for them, which is why initiatives like the WONNON Awards are so much needed. ”