 | Giada Casali is a Postdoctoral student studying Astrophysics at the ANU Research school for Astronomy and Astrophysics. |
This year's theme for International Women’s Day is #CountHerIn. Empowering women to 'learn, earn and lead' is necessary to have a world free of bias, and allow women to have the confidence to explore their passions. I was able to interview an amazing woman, who has been studying for the past decade in STEM, and she shared how important it is that we overcome stereotypes and strive for gender equality.
Why did you want to study a STEM degree?
Giada Casali is currently a post-doctorate studying Astrophysics at the ANU Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics at Stromlo in Canberra. She is an international student who started her love for physics at the University of Pisa in Italy. Though she faced difficulties, such as having a Professor in her first year who didn't believe that women were smart enough to succeed in a maths course, she gained confidence and strength in herself. Giada states, "At one point I attempted to change my degree, I had a bad first year and wanted to do medicine. The exam into medicine was difficult, and because I was concentrating on physics I ended up failing the exam. I do not regret it though, because after the first year, everything was much easier and I began to enjoy it". It can be difficult being a woman in STEM spaces, but for inclusion to occur we need not give up and feel confident in our abilities.
What do you love about studying Physics?
Giada talks about how she found her love for science, she said that from a young age, she took an interest in looking at the stars and observing the planets. In Italy, you can choose to go to schools with a focus on specific interests, so she chose a science high school. She states that there she was able to find a community with like-minded women, who were as passionate about science as she was. While university was difficult, she was also able to meet women in her classes, even though physics was a heavily male space. Giada is grateful for the women she met in her first year because they were able to help her through hard courses.
How can we #CountHerIn moving into the future?
Giada states, "I think there are a lot of stereotypes we have to overcome and let go of. Even in Italy, most women are encouraged to go into humanities courses, and not do STEM. STEM is still a male-dominated field, because of the stereotypes we put in women”. To #CountHerIn moving into the future, Giada expresses that we must give women the space to find their passions and interests without stereotyping. Giada, while starting with a degree in physics, has completed a master's and a PhD in Astrophysics. She has spent over a decade in STEM and loves it more every day. She has also travelled outside of her home country and had the confidence to meet new people, while still working on her English. Her final advice to women everywhere is that "You should never give up, physics was hard in the beginning, and I wanted to quit. But through that hardship, I began to love my degree and now I am so proud of where I am".
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Find out more about International Women's Day 2024 and how you can get involved here.
 | About The Author Perpetual is an International Relations and Arts (Human Rights and Sociology) student at The Australian National University. She has been writing for Woroni since 2022 and is interested in international politics, and how we can help those around the world. |