Claire Bartolome, a third-year Mechanical Engineering student at the University of the South Pacific, is the only female member of the university’s 10-person Robocon team.
Born and raised in Fiji to parents from the Philippines, she initially considered medicine but developed a passion for Physics in high school.
“With both parents having a background in medicine, I initially thought to pursue studies in the same field,” she said. “This took a turn in high school when I developed a keen interest in Physics and wanted to explore how I could build on this.”
Inspired by her software engineer aunt, she pursued Engineering despite initial family hesitation.
As part of the Robocon team, Bartolome contributes to research and development, assisting in designing a defence mechanism for their robot, which will compete at the ABU ROBOCON 2025 in Mongolia.
“Although I am the only female, being part of a team with like-minded individuals who work towards a shared goal has been exciting,” she said.
“I assist with designing the defence mechanism, which uses the pulley system to move the net up and down and the dribbling along with the frame that holds the parts together.”
She acknowledges the challenges of being in a male-dominated field but remains focused on her goals, encouraging young women to pursue Engineering.
“I try not to think about it,” she said. “It’s easy to let those thoughts creep in, but at the end of the day, what matters is what you’re aiming for and what you want to do during this lifetime.”
She has seen an increase in female STEM students and believes in collaboration to drive progress.
“To accelerate action means to move forward with quick implementation. In engineering, nothing happens in isolation, you need collaboration. I believe it is the same when it comes to women’s empowerment. We need to work together.”
Photos: USP
