Inspiring the Next Generation: Midwifery at the TAP Maths and Science Fest

The annual festival brings hundreds of fifth and sixth class pupils through the doors of Trinity College Dublin. The festival aims to aims to spark curiosity, open doors, introduce children to the diverse STEM-based careers and encourage wider participation at third-level for under represented groups. This year, Jean and Emily delivered an interactive session on the qualities and skills of a midwife to pupils from three Dublin primary schools. What unfolded in those rooms was far more powerful than either of them anticipated. 

The session was designed to be engaging and hands-on, giving children a real sense of what midwifery looks and feels like as a career.  The session, titled "I'm a Midwife, What's Your Superpower?", was structured around the idea that midwives have a set of skills and qualities, framed as "superpowers"; super listening, powerful communication, kind skilled hands, and strength. 

Woven through the presentation were images of midwives in various settings. These images included a photo of midwifery students on their first day in the hospital. The were wearing their uniforms for the first time, a proud milestone in any student’s journey. The reaction from one girl in the audience when this image was shown stopped the room. She recognised one of the students in the photograph was someone from her own area of inner-city Dublin. The student leapt to her feet with excitement; it was a small moment with an enormous message......I can do this too! 

In another session, a girl had her hand up for almost every question. Enthusiastic, sharp, and full of energy, she proudly announced with absolute conviction she was going to do her Leaving Certificate and come to Trinity to become a midwife. Her teacher later shared that this pupil finds school challenging and rarely engages in the classroom. You would not have known it, her teachers said they barely recognised her. 

These are the exact moments the Trinity Access Programme exists to create. For children growing up in communities where higher education can feel out of reach, seeing a role model from their area in a university uniform, being asked a question and realising they know the answer, or finding a career that sparks their interest can shift something fundamental in how these students see their own future. 

Jean and Emily are already looking forward to next year.