When IT industry worker and DEI champion Lina Baker paid a visit to students at a Stockport academy, she said students had two pressing questions on their minds: “Will AI take over the world?” and “How much do you earn?”

The key account director for global IT consultancy Xebia answered these (“No” and “I’m not telling you”) and other queries asked of her by inquisitive members of Years 7 and 8.

As a Lithuanian in Manchester, Lina also spoke about how a languages graduate ended up working in technology.

Writing on LinkedIn, she said: “Earlier this week I had an opportunity to speak as a guest role model at a local school to hopefully inspire pupils to consider careers in technology.

“Over the course of two hours, I spoke to about 200 students, and I loved it!” she said.

“Some were already coding in Python, but more importantly, I got to show them just how wide ranging tech careers can be, from marketing to legal, to finance, to operations to becoming visionaries of the future. And that it can be a lot of fun.

“The Y7/8 generation will go far!”

Would you like to find out about hosting free inspirational talks from relatable role models at your Greater Manchester school or college? Contact us at  info@statetalking.org