Heatherton’s Spotlight on Careers 

As part of Heatherton’s ‘Spotlight on Careers’ initiative, we invite parents into School to inspire our Year 5 and 6 girls to consider a range of careers!  

Last half term, we proudly welcomed Katha Down, a Year 6 parent employed by the United Nations, to speak to the girls about what a career in International Relations involves and why it is so rewarding.  

“With the girls soon moving up to secondary school, it is so important for them to find out what kind of careers they can pursue when they are older,” said Katha.  

During her presentation, Katha shared exciting stories of her global experiences working alongside the Executive Director of a UN programme. The students enjoyed footage from Katha’s trips around the world, including her journey to Mozambique for the Joint United Nations Programme, UNAIDS.  

Katha encouraged pupils to consider their skills and how they could apply them to a role in the UN. “Would you enjoy learning new languages?​ Working with people from different countries and cultures?​ Travelling?​ Following the news?”, Katha asked the girls, “then you’d enjoy a career within the UN!” 

Katha’s ultimate hope is to encourage young girls to pursue careers in male-dominated fields and to stand up for gender equality. “I hope my talk will give the girls the confidence to strive for whatever excites them. But also to show them that gender equality has not yet been achieved and they need to stand up for what they deserve. The UN is a good example – all Secretary Generals in its long history have been men so far,” Katha concludes, “Who knows, maybe one of the Heatherton girls will put an end to that injustice!” 

Katha’s visit had a lasting impact on the pupils, igniting their aspirations. We eagerly anticipate welcoming more parents to Heatherton to share their career journeys, demonstrating that any career path is within their reach.