On Monday 16th March 2015, six girls from the Ursuline Sixth Form, including myself, were invited to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to a ‘Women of the Future Ambassadors Programme’. The event, organised by Pinky Lilani OBE (founder and chair of the Asian Women of Achievement Awards) and sponsored by Lloyds TSB, was held to emphasize the power of networking and developing connections. The night began with introductory talks from Nerja Cehic, a Bloomberg reporter; Emma Wade OBE, a foreign and security counsellor and FCO global champion; Wendy McGuinness and Lesley Wan, both of whom work for the Lloyds banking group. Following on from these talks was a networking opportunity. Girls from various schools were given the opportunity to network with women who were at the top of their fields: those who worked in the sectors of law, media, technology, the public sector, finance, science and engineering. The night concluded with a few talks from awe-inspiring women, including Farah Pandith, who was the first ever Special Representative to Muslim Communities for the United States Department of State.

Towards the end of the night, one was overwhelmed by the sheer excellence and achievement of these women. However, there was one resounding message when I spoke to these women: excellence is possible. With hard work, dedication and staying connected, the career possibilities are endless.

Nema Lwanda

Ursuline High School