Tell us about your professional journey since leaving Downe House.

After leaving Downe House I have completed A-Levels in Physics, Maths and Economics and moved up to Edinburgh to study Civil Engineering at the University of Edinburgh. I initially started on a bachelor’s level degree, however, in the second year of my studies I have discovered Fire Safety Engineering. This led me to switch my degree to Structural and Fire Safety Engineering and I also prolonged my studies and switched to an integrated master’s program. I have graduated in July 2025 and have been working as a Fire Engineer since.

Can you describe your current role and what a typical day looks like?

I work closely with architects to make sure each new or renovated building has a good fire strategy in place. That includes evacuation strategies, testing of internal lining and structure, managing external fire spread to other buildings, and working with fire services to make sure we provide them with everything needed if something does go wrong.

Honestly, no two days are the same for me. Sometimes I’m inspecting buildings, sometimes I’m reviewing drawings, writing reports, negotiating with building control and/or fire services, or coming up with bespoke engineering solution involving lots of calculations and sometimes I’m even coding/programming to try and predict fire behaviour in a building.

What has been the highlight of your career so far?

A definite highlight of my career is seeing buildings I worked on in real life. It is so exciting to realise that you are impacting real lives, and that your projects don’t just exist on paper but are actively “living” and “breathing” in the society.

What has been the biggest professional challenge you have faced, and how did you overcome it?

The biggest challenge is the amount of push back I sometimes get from the design team when my recommendations go against their aspirations for certain projects. It is very important to stay level-headed and to explain your reasoning as simply as possible. It is a real art, and I am still learning how to keep all the stakeholders satisfied while keeping my buildings to an appropriate level of fire safety.

What skills and personal qualities do you think help someone excel in your field?

Curiosity is probably one of the main things. Fire safety is a very young field of engineering compared to other disicplines and there’s so much that can still be impacted and learned. Communication skills are also vital. You talk to all sorts of people, from residents of your buildings to building control bodies, you have to explain difficult fire concepts in very simple terms, you have to tell people no when that’s the last thing they want to hear. Hand in hand with that goes adaptability – for all the different aspects of the job you might get thrown into. And last but not least, a strong moral compass. Fire engineers hold a huge responsibility for real lives.

What advice would you give to someone hoping to follow in your footsteps?

This is a female specific advice. Don’t be afraid to walk into rooms when you still feel slightly underprepared. Boys will walk into rooms even if they feel only 70% qualified, but as women we often only consider certain opportunities when we feel 100% ready. Growth happens when you go into something that scares you a little. And often it turns out that the limit was only ever in your head.

What are your hopes and aspirations for the future?

I sincerely hope to bring more awareness to fire engineering from the general public and encourage more female presence in the profession.