Secondary school pupils from St Malachy’s High School Castlewellan, Our Lady’s Grammar School Newry, St Mary’s High School Newry and St Catherine’s College Armagh attended a special ‘Females in Engineering’ event at Southern Regional College’s Newry West Campus on Wednesday 29th April 2026.
The event featured speakers from the College’s championship winning STEM Racing Car team, consisting of Engineering Level 3 Extended Diploma students Chloe O’Hare, Sophie Houston and Ellie Magee join keynote speaker, Sky Sports Formula 1 (F1) analyst and former F1 Head of Race Strategy at Aston Martin, Bernie Collins. Each shared personal insights into their journeys within Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), with a strong focus on inspiring more young women to explore careers in these fields.
In addition to talks, pupils engaged with a range of interactive activities. These included a 20-metre, two-lane racing track where students could test miniature race cars, a reaction time challenge, a smoke trace visualisation demonstration, and a wind tunnel experiment showcasing the effects of drag and airflow on racing performance, alongside a variety of other STEM displays.
Engineering student Ellie Magee, who was one of three students speaking with secondary school pupils, spoke about her role as Graphic Designer for Team SCAR, explaining how she leads on visual elements such as the team’s portfolio layout and pit display.
She emphasised that engineering extends far beyond technical calculations, highlighting the importance of “teamwork, creativity, communication and sometimes arguing about what shade of red looks best.”
Ellie continued with her encouragement by saying:
“For years, women weren't encouraged to go into engineering. We didn't see many women in these roles, so it's easy to think, maybe that's not for me. But that's changing, and it needs to keep changing. The truth is engineering needs us. It needs different perspectives, different ideas, and different ways of thinking. When you bring more voices into engineering, you get better solutions, more innovation and designs that work for more people.”
Mrs Lee Campbell, Principal & Chief Executive of Southern Regional College commented:
“The engineering industry needs more than technical ability, it needs creativity, communication, leadership and fresh perspectives. Events like ‘Females in Engineering – I am an Engineer’ are about showing young women that there is absolutely a place for them within engineering and other STEM career routes. Seeing our students speak so confidently about their experiences and achievements is proof of what can happen when talent is encouraged and supported”.