Lucknow girl, Jagriti Yadav was offered a chance to serve as the British High Commissioner for a day on September 21. On her day as the British High Commissioner, she met the Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture Meenakshi Lekhi, the Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin, and the Executive Chairman of Wipro Rishad Premji.
Her day was filled with a broad range of diplomatic activities like leading meetings with diverse stakeholders, chairing discussions and attending several events during the day. She met the Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture Meenakshi Lekhi, the Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin, and the Executive Chairman of Wipro Rishad Premji.
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She also interacted with project leads working on the Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions (GATI) project at the British Council and beneficiaries of the Chevening-funded SheLeads project – a women's leadership programme that helps aspiring female political leaders.
Jagriti launched a book honouring 75 Indian Women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) alongside Professor Ajay Kumar Sood, the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India.
Taling bout her experience as the British High Commissioner, Jagriti said, "It was an intellectually inspiring experience to serve as the British High Commissioner for a day. My day was full of opportunities – discussions with established business leaders, a meeting with the Mayor of West Yorkshire and interactions with a leading female politician of India about significant obstacles to women’s professional advancement and the value of women as leaders."
"Meeting the SheLeads project beneficiaries and female STEAM role models was motivating, and I learned about STEAM engagement between the UK and India and the UK’s efforts to advance gender equality. The day gave me the opportunity to learn from a diverse perspective and, as a young woman, it gave me the confidence to be more determined and considerate towards the role of women in society," she added.
The British High Commission in New Delhi organise the ‘High Commissioner for a Day’ competition annually since 2017 to celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child (October 11). More than 270 young girls from all around India applied for this year’s competition.
Applicants for this year’s competition were invited to submit a one-minute video answering ‘which woman in public life inspires you the most and why?’ Jagriti’s winning entry can be found here.
Who is Jagriti Yadav?
Jagriti Yadav hails from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh and is a recent graduate with a BSc in Physical Science with Computer Science from Delhi University. She is an avid reader and prefers to read self-help books that provide insights and perspective on life.
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