Elin Jones MS has been nominated for our Wonderful Welsh Women campaign by the Wales Youth Parliament (WYP) Mid & West Wales. In this interview, Elin talks about a her biggest achievement to date and what she would like to achieve before she retires.
What is a typical day in your life?
A busy, varied day, either in Ceredigion or Cardiff
What do you enjoy most about what you do? What motivates you to get out of bed in the morning?
Meeting interesting people. There are so many people who do interesting things and meeting people who want to take a chance and make a difference inspires me daily. Especially those who want to enrich our rural communities. That’s worth getting up for.
How has your career developed? Where did you start out? Did you always know what you wanted to do?
I’m a person who’s been in the right place at the right time - I never planned my career.
What is your biggest achievement to date?
One of the things I’m most proud of is the emphasis on young people in democracy in this Senedd - especially giving the vote to 16 and 17 year olds and electing Wales’s first Youth Parliament.
What would you like to achieve before you retire?
Creating a Senedd which is the right size for Wales, which is fairly elected, and accurately reflects the people and communities of Wales.
Who were your role models when you started out?
Cynog Dafis.
Did any women inspire you as a young girl or woman?
Teachers at school, and my mother and grandmother.
What female role models inspire you today?
By now almost all women inspire me.
Do you think that female role models are visible enough?
No, there are some at the top, but many women are needed in all walks of life.
What advice would you give yourself if you were 10 years old again?
To believe in your own ability and not listen too much to that little insecure voice in your own mind.
What advice would you give to young women today?
To go for it, to follow their instincts, and not be afraid of doing things that are contrary to people’s expectations of you.