Hello

I didn’t take a straight path into STEM — but I’ve always known it was where I wanted to be.

From a young age, I was fascinated by how things worked, and that curiosity led me towards engineering. I set my sights on becoming an engineering officer in the RAF, working towards that goal through a military scholarship while studying mechanical engineering at university. I earned my commission and was on track to begin that career — until everything changed.

​

Shortly after commissioning, my health took a rather dramatic turn and I was medically discharged.  Losing that path forced me to completely re-evaluate what a future in STEM could look like.

​

What followed wasn’t a step away from science, but a decision to engage with it more deeply. I returned to study, continued working as an engineer, and began questioning the systems and cultures that shape who feels able to succeed, and who is left out.

​

Today, I work in astronautical engineering and study part-time for a master’s degree in physics. Alongside this, I’ve built a growing science communication platform through Everyday Steminist, where I share evidence-based content on science, engineering, and gender equity — reaching thousands of people and contributing to wider conversations about inclusion in STEM.

​

That work has led to opportunities in STEM outreach, including being recognised as a role model for National Engineering Day in 2024, being shortlisted for STEM Champion of the Year at the AFBE Awards in 2025, and being named as one of Enginuity’s 365 Faces of STEM.

More recently, my work has developed into advocacy. In 2025, while researching gender inequality in STEM, I came across evidence showing that women are less likely to receive bystander CPR.

​

It was something I couldn’t ignore. I began looking more closely at the causes and, importantly, the solutions. What I found was that increasing the use of female-bodied manikins in CPR training had already been shown to help close that gap.

​

I went on to raise awareness of the issue online, launch a petition calling for all first aid and CPR training courses in the UK to include training on female manikins, and engage directly with first aid organisations to push for change.

​

It’s a clear example of how deeply embedded assumptions in design can have real, measurable consequences, and how targeted, evidence-based changes can begin to address them.

​

For me, this is what STEM is about, not just understanding how the world works, but questioning how it’s been built, who it works for, and how we can make it better.