On July 14, 2026, AIUB Computer Club in collaboration with a2i under the SheSTEM – Career Knows No Gender initiative, organized a Fireside Chat & Career Guidance Workshop: Inspiring Role Model Talks for Future Leaders in STEM. The event aimed to inspire students, particularly women pursuing STEM education, by connecting them with accomplished industry professionals and educators who shared their career journeys, practical advice and insights into the evolving technology sector. The workshop brought together students, faculty members, industry experts and representatives from a2i and the SheSTEM Consortium to encourage greater participation and career development in STEM fields.
The program started with welcoming remarks delivered by Mr. Abdullah Al Fahim, Head of Program Management, a2i who expressed his gratitude to all the participants, guests and speakers for attending the event. He highlighted the existing gender disparity in STEM education, mentioning that only around 14% of women participate in STEM education and only about 30% of them successfully enter the workforce. He emphasized the importance of initiatives like SheSTEM in creating more opportunities for women in science and technology.
The introductory session on SheSTEM was conducted by Zakia Sultana, Programme Manager, a2i who introduced the objectives and vision of the initiative. She explained that SheSTEM aims to accelerate women’s participation in STEM education and careers while reducing gender disparity in the workforce. She highlighted the importance of women’s empowerment in driving economic growth and sustainable development. The audience was introduced to various SheSTEM activities, including Fireside Chats, Policy Cafés, seminars and panel discussions, along with free career development courses, project partners and collaborations with government organizations and universities. She also presented the SheSTEM website and showcased the achievements of previous events.
The first Fireside Chat featured Tanzeem Haque, Data Infrastructure & Services Lead, ACI AI Business, who shared her inspiring journey from aspiration to achievement. She encouraged students to recognize and appreciate every small milestone throughout their careers and reminded them to reconnect with the aspirations that originally motivated them. Through interactive discussions with the audience, she emphasized that while careers know no gender, life often presents different challenges for men and women. She explained how she successfully balanced her professional career, personal life, and hobby of travelling while continuously pursuing growth. She encouraged students to define their own version of success, remain open to diverse experiences, become “jack of all trades,” invest in multiple skill sets and create opportunities for passive income. She also highlighted the significant burden of unpaid domestic labor carried by women and concluded by motivating everyone to pursue their goals with determination and confidence.
The second Fireside Chat was delivered by Kulsum Siddique, Senior Software Quality Assurance Engineer at CHEQ, a Cantaloupe Platform, who reflected on her own journey from being an audience member at seminars to becoming a speaker herself. She discussed the realities of working as a woman in technology and provided practical career guidance for students. Her session focused on building an effective CV, maintaining a professional LinkedIn profile, maximizing student life through continuous learning and understanding what employers truly seek in candidates. She advised students not to compare the beginning of their own journey with someone else’s achievements, encouraging them to seek mentors, remain patient, and celebrate every stage of personal and professional growth.
The final Fireside Chat was conducted by Md. Wahid Akhter, Lead Engineer, Delivery Engineering, Research & Engineering Product & Technology Division, bKash, who shared valuable lessons from his own professional journey. He emphasized that having aspirations is not the difficult part, but successfully bridging the gap between dreams and achievement requires continuous effort. He encouraged students to plan their work carefully, develop strong networking skills, and maintain high-quality CVs and professional portfolios. Stressing the importance of adaptability in today’s rapidly changing technology landscape, he advised students to develop expertise in Artificial Intelligence while remaining consistent in their learning. He concluded by sharing five key takeaways for success: Aspiration, Adaptability, Collaboration, Constancy, and Helping Others.
Professor Dr. Dip Nandi, Associate Dean, FST, AIUB, Md. Saef Ullah Miah, Associate Professor, Faculty of Computer Science, AIUB and Dr. Abhijit Bhowmik, Associate Professor, Faculty of Computer Science, AIUB and Mentor, AIUB Computer Club were also present at the event.
Md. Saef Ullah Miah, Associate Professor, Faculty of Computer Science, AIUB also addressed the audience by emphasizing the imbalance between male and female participation in STEM education. He praised the SheSTEM initiative and encouraged students to actively participate in similar programs to receive proper career guidance, develop professional skills, and prepare themselves for future opportunities. A token of appreciation was later presented to Dr. Abhijit Bhowmik and Saifullah Miah for their valuable contributions.
Following the welcome session, Dr. Abhijit Bhowmik, Associate Professor, Faculty of Computer Science, AIUB and Mentor, AIUB Computer Club, thanked a2i for organizing such an impactful initiative. He discussed the growing implementation of Artificial Intelligence and the importance of seminars and workshops in preparing students for future careers. He encouraged participants to take at least three valuable lessons from the event and expressed his appreciation to all the distinguished speakers for dedicating their time and sharing their experiences.
The workshop concluded with a token of appreciation presented to all the distinguished speakers for their valuable contributions. Professor Dr. Dip Nandi, Associate Dean, FST, AIUB was also handed over a token of appreciation from SheSTEM. During the interactive Question and Answer Session, students discussed internship opportunities, career preparation, and workplace collaboration. The speakers advised students to remain persistent when applying for internships, prepare a list of target companies, and never lose hope despite increasing competition. They emphasized identifying a specific area of interest, participating in professional events, solving programming problems on platforms such as HackerRank, maintaining strong portfolios and Git repositories, and continuously improving technical skills. Responding to questions regarding collaboration in male-dominated teams, the speakers encouraged students to communicate confidently, respectfully express their opinions and actively contribute to group discussions.
Overall, the SheSTEM – Career Knows No Gender, Fireside Chat & Career Guidance Workshop successfully provided participants with valuable career guidance, inspiring personal experiences and practical industry insights. Through meaningful discussions on gender equality, professional development, networking and emerging technologies, the event motivated students to pursue successful careers in STEM while reinforcing the message that talent, determination and continuous learning are the true foundations of success.
