Hook of Hope

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Learning and education is very precious to me as my younger self had to fight against my family, my community, certain ideologies and against all odds just to pursue further and higher education. The journey was difficult but so worth it. I had been to almost 100 deputy director interviews, and I wasn't successful until I was. Still, I always felt that I was punching below my weight. I am finally, finally at home," Nurjahan says. "I feel home, for me, is America because this is where I am comfortable in my own skin."

People have sacrificed and paved the way for us, and I've got a role to play, especially while I'm in the civil service. I will do my best to do what I can to carve out spaces for people who feel marginalised.To applyfor an SCS position is a very draining process. There are five steps: the application itself where you have to write a statement. And if you get sifted, you will go through a two-hour interview with an occupational psychiatrist and then on to a couple of hours on psychometric tests.

I've got this constant fire in my belly: I genuinely believe that we belong, and because of the difficulties I have experienced in my life and professional career, especially around discrimination, I don't want others to go through what I've gone through. Just by coming together has been a huge success. By the end of the day I was like a proud Mama as I was overwhelmed with feeling incredibly proud of having such an amazing team who are supportive, go the extra mile despite the challenges, who are kind and respond so professionally to my every demand! It was difficult to adjust to the bureaucratic processes. I was doing things I hadn't done for a decade, and that, coupled with the fact that I took a demotion in pay and grade, made my job very unsatisfactory.Also, I experienced a lot of discrimination. colleagues sharing my leadership journey and brought together the many themes the two day event covered: insights into how you can use science and evidence to deliver your role and realise benefits for the public.civilservicelive2023 #moderncivilservice #scienceandinnovation #civilservice #paneldiscussion #CSL23

EDUCATION IS A BLESSING: Last week I was at a residential learning week at Oxford University Said Business School through the Major Projects Leadership Academy (MPLA). This was the second time me and my cohort of amazing individuals from across government came together to spend a whole week of learning. It took me five years of continuous interviewing for a senior civil servant position, sogetting the role is a monumental momentbecause I am not aware of any other visible female Muslimdirector anywhere in government. It was a great session that focussed on evidence, analysis, science and innovation, providing an invaluable chance to learn more about the science and evidence ecosystem in the Civil Service and its partners. Discussions was led by leaders in analysis, operational, delivery, policy and science. The session aimed to encourage and nurture scientific inquisitiveness and analytical curiosity and allowed the audience to gain:I didn't come to the civil service as a long-term career," she told Dods Diversity & Inclusion. "But when my mum had a second stroke,I made up my mind and mapped out what I wanted to do with my career over the next years," she explained. I firmly believe that I belong in the SCS. But I grew up with a dual identity in a family and home that never felt like I belonged. So, I've learned to be resilient and fight against the odds. This week I attended Civil Service Live in London where I was a panel member; title of the panel discussion was ‘How a strong evidence and science ecosystem can help us improve public service delivery, be more innovative and do more (even with less).’