Celebrating diversity in science
PhD student, Sannia Farooque, has been named as one of the 175 Faces of Chemistry by the Royal Society of Chemistry.
In the lead up to its 175th anniversary on Tuesday 23 February, the Royal Society of Chemistry is showcasing the diversity of the chemistry community in the form of 175 individual and inspirational stories.
Sannia completed her secondary education but, when her mother fell ill, she took on the responsibility of running the family business with her sister. She worked for her mother’s company for four years before relocating to England, where she got married and had a child.
Sannia decided to go back to education and signed up for an Access to Higher Education science course at Leeds City College, before securing a place to study chemistry at the University. Despite Sannia’s love for the subject, she found the transition to university challenging. One of the main difficulties she faced was trying to balance university with raising a young family.
Sannia said: “Raising a child whilst completing a chemistry degree isn’t the easiest thing but it’s definitely worth it. I didn’t have any help towards childcare financially or otherwise – I didn’t have any family members who could help me. I had to run to pick up my daughter from nursery after getting out of lectures. It was challenging and exciting at the same time.”
Read more about Sannia’s story.
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