Sheffield student hailed as the next Poet Laureate

A Sheffield student has been hailed as the next Poet Laureate during an awards ceremony celebrating women.
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Sylvia Chen was among a group of women and girls who attended a dazzling awards ceremony in York, where she was awarded prizes for her entry in a creative writing competition organised by Community Rail Lancashire.

Now in its fourth year, the competition forms part of a wider project, entitled ‘Women in STEM’. It aims to engage with young women from a wide range of backgrounds; not only encouraging them to consider rail career options but also uses their opinions to inform and shape the future of these industries.

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Poetry, dance and even raps formed many of the hundreds of entries to this years’ competition, the winners of which were published in a booklet to be distributed to schools, transport providers and other educational facilities across the country to throw the spotlight on rail as a varied and rewarding profession for females.

Sylvia ChenSylvia Chen
Sylvia Chen

As it stands, only 16 per cent of the workforce within rail are represented by women.

A spokesman for the competition praised Syliva, adding during the ceremony that she could be the next Poet Laureate for her work as part of a campaign surrounding International Women’s Day.

In attendance at the awards ceremony were industry professionals and the Right Honourable, the Lord Mayor of York, Councillor Janet Looker.

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She said: “This has been a truly inspiring event. The girls are just absolutely wonderful, and the talent displayed has been awe inspiring. I will always be a Woman who Wanders!”

As part of the project, schoolgirls from underprivileged areas across Manchester took a train journey to Liverpool, in partnership with Manchester United Foundation, with women who hold some of the rail industry’s top management positions to explore the option of a career in rail and highlight the disproportionate numbers of men and women working within the sector. They were greeted by another inspirational female figurehead - the Lord Mayor of Liverpool Councillor Anna Rothery - the UK’s first black, female Lord Mayor who answered questions on her own journey to the top of a traditionally male-orientated profession.

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