Jane is from Lebanon and studies computer engineering. At CERN, she has been working on a chatbot which retrieves data for the ATLAS High Level Trigger (HLT) system.  

She is extremely proud of the contribution she has been able to make to the experiment, “They are going to use what I did for real – I can tell my friends that they are going to use my work in one of the largest experiments in science”.

Jane found the experience improved her overall self-confidence, commenting, “I know more my capabilities and capacities. I know what I want, and I know what I don’t want anymore. I am more sure about myself”. In terms of future goals, the experience has helped her to get a better idea of what she would like to get out of her career – a balance between coding and working with people.

She also enjoyed how the CERN environment made her feel, “I come from a background where it is a male-dominated field. In my university it is mostly men more than women. In my class, for example, sometimes we are just 2 girls out of fifty”.

“Here I feel like I didn’t really notice that there are men more than women. I made friends all over, all the genders and they were all really kind … they never really made me feel that I am a woman, and I am not equal to them. I was treated the same as the rest”.

For her, it was altogether an unforgettable experience, and one that “will be ingrained in me for the rest of my life”. She is already anticipating telling her future children about CERN!