This article series is a part of a larger initiative by CERN & Society Foundation to inspire young girls and women in STEM careers and help aspiring scientists push existing boundaries. Our Women in STEM campaign aims to reduce the gap between dreaming and achieving fulfilling careers in science.

“I hope that women in future are free to pursue their career in science without being prejudiced and brought down by men or each other. I also think the issue stems from the difference in upbringing of girls and boys. Girls are discouraged from being interested in science from young age. I hope that this narrative will change in the future.” - Violeta

It isn’t easy to be a girl fond of science.

My passion for science started when I was 12 years old, and my aunt gifted me a microscope and a small telescope for Christmas. She gave me an onion peel to view under the microscope and I was amazed by how intricate it was. Then I started searching for dead bugs to dissect and look at their body parts under the microscope. I now own 3 microscopes.

My name is Violeta Jürgens from the Estonian team for the Beamline for Schools competition. I am 18 years old from the city of Tartu in Southern Estonia. My passion lies in science, especially in molecular biology and epigenetics research, but of course particle physics too. 

It wasn’t easy to fit in as an inspiring scientist in School. I happen to be a part of a robotics club in elementary school, where I was one of the only girls there. Moreover, when I first started to participate in maths Olympiads, the boys in my class made fun of me. They found it hilarious that I was wearing glasses, and I liked science which is apparently not suitable interest for a girl. One of the boys told me that I should not take part in maths competition because I had no chance of winning simply because I am a girl. Unfortunately, this boy got far fewer points than I did in this competition, and he never participated again. All these experiences never discouraged me, because of my parents’ support. My mother used to tell me that the boys were just jealous of me because I was so smart. The teachers were supportive too, because they knew it wasn’t easy to be a girl who is so fond of science.

As a biology fanatic, the female scientist that inspires me is Jennifer Doudna. She got the Nobel prize for chemistry in 2020, inventing the CRISPR genome editing molecule. I aspire to win a Nobel prize too one day, with some life changing biomedical science discovery. I have another woman that I look up to, the CERN director Fabiola Gianotti. After watching the film about finding the Higgs Boson, the Particle Fever, I was inspired by how one can have ladylike manners, but also such a powerful presence. She is also a co-author for an astonishing number of research publications.

I thought CERN would suffocate my interest for becoming a scientist, but after one week here with my team, the Mavericks - one of the 3 winners of the Beamline for Schools competition - I realized that it was the other way around. I feared that I would be stuck in some old experiment building, only able to watch at the computer screen with some old, boring men with a bureaucratic attitude. by the community of young and passionate scientists I found at CERN. The work in the experiment area did not only consist of sitting behind a computer, it included a lot more problem solving and physical tasks than I had expected.  This experience has strengthened my confidence in pursuing a career in science.

I hope that women in future are free to pursue their career in science without being prejudiced and brought down by men or each other. I also think the issue stems from the difference in upbringing of girls and boys. Girls are discouraged from being interested in science from young age. I hope that this narrative will change in the future.

For my future, I will start my university studies in molecular biology next year in a US university. I hope to already carry out some research during my undergraduate years and I hope to patent some invention or discovery and found my own businesses just like Jennifer Doudna. 

If science is your passion, you belong to science no matter what other people tell you!