Black Panther star Letitia Wright has joined forces with oil and gas firm Shell to inspire more girls to enter Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) careers.
Wright, who plays scientist Shuri in the hit movie, stars in a film by the company to help break down barriers against young women entering the sector, and help shift perceptions around STEM.
Shuri’s character has been lauded as an inspiration to young girls wanting to get into science and tech-related fields of study.
The 24-year-old, who was recently named one of Vogue’s Women of the Year, appears in the short clip alongside Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE, founder of social enterprise Stemettes.
Wright said her Black Panther role opened her eyes to see how “amazing” STEM is.
She said: “I strongly believe that you have to see something in order for you to understand you can do it.
“That’s why I’m thrilled that I got to tell the stories of these incredibly talented young women, who are real-life embodiments of what STEM really is about.
“It would mean a lot to me if a girl could watch this film and think they too could do what these young women do.”
The Engineering Real-life Heroes film sees the pair highlight the stories of four students preparing for the Shell Eco-Marathon competition to design energy-efficient vehicles.
Wright told Imafidon of the response towards her character: “A floodgate just opened up for so many women saying thank you for representing us.”
