Inspired by the Female Faculty Network Twente, Yun strives to make a difference in UT student community through her initiative. Although this started off as a project from her personal development course, she wished to take it a step further.
While at a Novel-T start-up bootcamp, she was disappointed that she was only one of the two female students present. ‘Despite the fact that this is an entrepreneurial university, the start-ups at the university are mostly initiatives of men,’ says Yun. ‘It is generally difficult to find ‘Women in Tech’ or ‘Women in the Lead’ events in Enschede or even in the surrounding areas. These networks are more prominent in Amsterdam.’
Role models
According to Yun, there are disparities in the ratio of male to female students at the UT, especially in technical disciplines. ‘I don’t think this is because women are lacking talent, it is just because that they don’t have a role model to uphold.’ She continues: ‘If young girls see women in leading positions, they are empowered to take up similar positions.’
By collaborating with female students and professionals, she wishes to build a strong network of mentors and mentees at the UT. The ‘Networking Night’ event held yesterday was a first step in realising this initiative and attracted around 20 attendees. Through a series of similar events, Yun wants to build on this initiative in the upcoming academic year.
