Motivational Monday – Mechanical Engineering

For the latest in our Motivational Monday series, we spoke to Mechanical Engineering PhD student and alumna, Margarida Santos.

Joining as a Year 3 pupil in 2006, Margarida (class of 2017) continued her studies at South Hampstead until the Sixth Form. Throughout her time at school, her favourite subject was Maths, with Music a close second. Margarida recalls the sage advice she received from her most inspirational teacher, Mr Baker: “Just because you want to pursue science, it doesn’t mean you have to stop doing humanities and arts.” She subsequently learned to embrace all aspects of her interests, developing skills she still finds useful in her studies today in the fast-paced and challenging environment of her PhD.

She explains how her time at South Hampstead helped prepare her for the working world: “Learning how to work with different kinds of people in different settings and imparting my enthusiasm and passion to others has been invaluable.”

Margarida’s advice to current pupils on the cusp of their careers is two-fold. Firstly: “If you ask, you’ll have a chance to pursue opportunities… If you don’t ask, you won’t.” Secondly: “Talk to people. You’d be surprised how much knowledge you can gain from listening to others about their career paths.”

Margarida hopes to work as a researcher in her industry, and looks forward to collaborating with and mentoring other PhD students.