When I was about 15, I had a serious illness that took me out of education, and most of my teachers lost faith in me and my ability.
My headteacher even told me I would never go to university. It was hard to lose the support of those around me, so I worked hard on making sure I could believe in myself and my ability. I ended up in one of the best universities in the world. One of the major lessons I learned from a young age is that your belief in yourself and your abilities is so important: you might have people who don’t believe in you, but that doesn’t mean you can’t achieve your dreams.
My physics teacher supported me as the only woman in the class and took us on a trip to the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory where I fell in love with medical physics. I instantly knew that it was the subject for me, a mix of three things I loved: helping others, math, and physics! If I hadn’t had such a supportive teacher, I don’t think I would have chosen the subject.
I work with high-power lasers to try and recreate the conditions found in space to help us learn more about the interiors of planets like Uranus and Neptune that can help us with fusion studies—getting clean, abundant energy!
I describe myself as a minority in a minority, or #MinoritySquared, since I am not only a woman but a woman of color. On top of that, I am very feminine and typically I’m the only one in the room that looks like me, so it can be hard to have role models in my field. But I have to stay true to myself. Sometimes this can be hard, but I remember that I might be that role model to someone else, so this keeps me going. I believe that being yourself helps increase the quality of your work too!
Follow what you’re passionate about, regardless of what the stereotypes may be! Find those around you who will support you and your pursuit of your dreams.
Meriame Berboucha
PhD Student, Plasma Physics, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, and
Imperial College London, United Kingdom
Born in United Kingdom (nationality: British/Algerian) / Resides in United States
Educational Background: MRes and BSc, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
