Cardiff-born Caitlin Ray caught the travel bug during her gap year where she explored Japan, Vietnam and much of Europe. Now in her second year at Bath, she is studying for a degree in mathematics.
“It’s the international language, as I keep telling my mum,” says Caitlin. “It was always my best subject at school – my parents say they don’t know where I came from!”
Now Caitlin has been awarded a scholarship with J.P. Morgan – a world leader in financial services. The Winning Women in Technology programme is unique to Bath and supports 10 scholars per year, studying Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics and Engineering at the University. The mission: to encourage more female students to excel in STEM subjects.
Caitlin will never forget the day she found out she’d been accepted. “I was abroad and my phone was stolen on the day I knew they were going to call,” she says. “They emailed saying they were trying to get in touch and I was so relieved when I eventually found out I’d been successful.”
As well as financial support, the programme also offers an industrial placement. “Knowing I had my placement secured took a lot of pressure off,” she says. “My friends devoted one day a week to applications, but I could focus on my studies.”
During her third-year placement, Caitlin is working as an analyst in J.P. Morgan’s technology department, gaining an insight into a company that has a team of more than 40,000 technologists globally. “They have a programme called Force for Good, where employees build technology solutions for non-profits around the world,” she explains. “I’m really interested in technology that can help people so I’m looking forward to learning more.”
And just as mathematics and technology go hand-in-hand, Caitlin is hoping to combine her career with her love of travel. “The great thing about J.P. Morgan is that they’re international, so I’m hoping future opportunities might mean I can travel with my job.”
After all, Pi is approximately 3.14159 in every country.