A role model for
the next generation

Aaron began working as a hotel doorman, then trained as a chef. He was about to start working as a sous-chef, but his burning passion for engineering got in the way.

He put his self-doubt to one side for a brief moment, pulled himself together and applied for a mechanical engineering apprenticeship at the ZEISS site in Cambourne. This was the opportunity he had been longing for. Aaron continued to strive for greatness: during his apprenticeship, he passed his Higher National Certificate (HNC) in Mechanical Engineering with a distinction. This was his ticket to participate in the ZEISS Graduate Program. He later achieved a first in his Bachelor of Engineering degree. 

For a long time, Aaron felt like a fraud. Today he knows he does his job well. He found role models at ZEISS, he received reassurance and he experienced diversity. "ZEISS has invested a lot in me from an academic and a personal perspective. The company has guided me on my way from high school graduate to development engineer," he says.

Aaron wants to be the role model he never had for other children. He volunteers as a STEM ambassador. In this capacity, he gives presentations about his career path in schools and at career fairs. He is also involved in the A Heart for Science internal ZEISS initiative and supports "First Tech Challenge", the world's largest robotics competition. Aaron reiterates, "No child should have their ambitions questioned because of their background. I want to help eradicate unconscious prejudices and encourage young people from different backgrounds to go their own way."