Uptree

Hibah is a talented Year 12 student with a keen interest in STEM, she's currently studying biology, chemistry, computer science and psychology at A-Level. One of just 30 students selected for the Coca-Cola Europacific Partners STEM work experience day, we're delighted that she is sharing her experience of the event with us.

How did you prepare for the CCEP event?

I prepared by researching Coca-Cola Europacific Partners and what they do in Engineering and STEM. I also made sure that I had questions ready to ask people from CCEP to help me stand out as well as find out more about the apprenticeship programme that CCEP offers.

I did have a tech issue with an initial questionnaire that was sent via Zoom as I could not access it; however, the Uptree Team helped me and the issue was resolved.

How did you find the work experience day?

The event was really interactive as I answered questions that the speakers posed to the students

We also made a presentation in our small teams that I later presented back to the rest of the group and received constructive feedback on it.

I found out that CCEP owns a lot of other beverage companies other than the usual varieties of Coke products. I was especially surprised about the history of Coca-Cola and how the company was passed on from one person to another.

One of the speakers stood out to me because she had an unusual career journey. She was not sure what she wanted to do for her career, so she tried many different career options such as the police, and even becoming cabin crew, but she finally realised what she wanted to do, which is why she joined Coca-Cola Europacific Partners.

This resonated with me as it helped me realise that I don't have to know what I want to do and I can try different career routes as long as I learn from every opportunity I get.

Do you have any advice for other students also interested in STEM careers?

What I would advise other students is to get as much extra-curricular/work experience in this industry as you can without it affecting your education.

You should also do some research into the different career paths that are available to you in this field and consider each one.

Think carefully about why you want to go into this field and from there, what you need to do to achieve this goal. Also, do not be afraid to ask for help during these types of work experiences as this will definitely help you.

Uptree thanks Hibah for giving us an insight into this STEM work experience day and wish her all the best with her studies and future career path.

Hibah intends to go into the field of biological research and hopes to study biology at university