The 11th annual I Wish Showcase, held today at the RDS in Dublin, saw 4,000 female students gather to be inspired to pursue a career in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Maths (STEM). Today’s event — the largest I Wish Showcase to date — was officially opened by Taoiseach, Micheál Martin.
Speaking ahead of the event, the Taoiseach said: “I’m delighted to attend today’s event, with 4,000 brilliant young minds gathering under one roof, ready to reimagine the world through STEM. I Wish proves that with opportunity, role models and determination, there are no limits to what girls can achieve – breaking barriers, shattering stereotypes, and building a brighter, more inclusive future for all.”
With 45% of girls citing a lack of access to female role models as a barrier to STEM careers according to a recent I Wish survey, 46 speakers engaged directly with students at the all-island event, showcasing the power of visible role models in shaping aspirations and breaking barriers. Among them were Olympic sprint star Phil Healy; Olympic rower Zoe Hyde; Olympic relay star and Deloitte’s Strategic Project Lead, Claire Dunne (née Bergin); and international rally driver Aoife Rafferty, who shared their journeys of perseverance, ambition and success.
This year’s event also features the largest-ever exhibition hall, with over 30 exhibitors from leading Irish and global companies and organisations showcasing exciting STEM career opportunities. Highlights included the Sport Innovation Hub in collaboration with Sport Ireland’s HER Moves campaign, where students explored how technology is transforming sports through interactive activities like rowing machines, reaction boards and jersey design stations. The Food Science Hub, led by Carbery, Kerry Group and Dawn Meats, demonstrated STEM’s impact on the food industry with machine learning tools, cheese-making tasks and problem-solving games.
Engineering and construction activities range from a Giant Jenga game with Jones Engineering to mini-golf with Regeneron, alongside insights from companies such as Sisk, Crown and Dornan on the evolution of careers in construction. Students also discovered the role of STEM in business and innovation with IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland. Adding to the excitement, the Podcast Hub, in collaboration with Virgin Media, allowed students to record live podcasts, with a select few invited to visit the studio post-event to record their own.
I Wish co-founder Caroline O’Driscoll highlighted the significance of providing access to inspiring role models, stating: “The findings from our most recent annual survey report make it clear that while progress has been made, systemic barriers persist, preventing too many young girls from seeing STEM as a viable career path. Collectively, we must give real choices to girls and ensure that they have every opportunity to take their place in the economies of tomorrow.
“At our Showcase, over 4,000 teenage girls get the opportunity to listen to the lived journeys of some amazing female trailblazers. This in turn allows them to see what a career in STEM is truly like, understand the variety of careers and pathways available and the positive impact that STEM has on our world.”
I Wish, a multi-award-winning programme showcasing the power of STEM to female students in Ireland and across the globe, has held its renowned annual Showcase since 2015, engaging with over 65,000 students in this time, hosting over 1,000 speakers, and partnering with over 130 industry leaders.
I Wish co-founder, Gillian Keating extended her thanks to the leaders in STEM from pharmaceutical, technology, food, sports and engineering sectors taking part in the event: “Each year it is magical to watch the ambitions of young girls from across the country expanding in front of our very eyes as they take in all that they can be through careers in STEM. We’re so grateful to our partners, both multinational and indigenous, who take part in the showcase demonstrating their commitment to showcasing STEM pathways to the next generation of female leaders and innovators.
“STEM leaders such as Deloitte, Dell Technologies, Merck, Virgin Media, Sport Ireland Her Moves Campaign, Johnson & Johnson, Regeneron and Qualcomm inspire our female talent every day to explore the power of STEM to make a real difference to the world we live in, and for that we thank them.”
This year’s event also featured ongoing transport partnerships with Iarnród Éireann and Bus Éireann, along with a new partnership with Translink, making the event fully accessible to students from Northern Ireland for the first time.
I WISH is a multi-faceted STEM community committed to showcasing the power of STEM to teenage girls. They run outreach activities, mentorship, twinning, entrepreneurship programmes and education programmes along with showcase events reaching a global audience. For more information, see iwish.ie.
