Winner of the Positive Role Model Award for Gender at the 2025 National Diversity Awards
A short summary of your work or mission
I am the founder of STEMAZING – a non-profit social enterprise dedicated to inspiration and inclusion in STEM. Our mission is to empower women in STEM to be more confident, visible role models and to inspire primary school children to smash stereotypes, raise awareness and grow aspirations around STEM careers. In the last 5 years we have empowered over 750 role models through our training programme, and our community has collectively delivered over 195,000 STEMAZINGKids engagements.
How has your work made a difference to your community or the people you support?
It’s brilliant to see the impact through individual stories from the women that take part in our programmes to become STEMAZING role models. We hear stories of increased confidence, purpose and motivation to be part of the inclusion revolution in our STEM industries!
91% Role models said STEMAZING helped them to see themselves as a role model in STEM.
95% Role models said the programme helped to increase their overall confidence.
82% Role models said they will continue STEM outreach after the programme ends.
77% Schools said the workshops SIGNIFICANTLY improved the children’s awareness of STEM.
96% schools say the programme challenges gender stereotypes for who can or should do STEM.
“I'm now very confident in myself and the impact that I can make in STEM. I feel more valuable to society and the fact that I'm making an impact in STEM gives me so much fulfilment.” Agnes Anuka role model
“One of the biggest benefits I experienced through STEMAZING Inspiration Academy was discovering my own creativity and confidence. I truly enjoyed presenting sessions that combined fun with STEM learning, and it was rewarding to see how engaging these activities could be. Through this process, I realised I have a wealth of ideas and experiences to share -something I hadn’t fully appreciated before. This has given me a sense of pride and motivation to continue inspiring others in STEM.” An Lig Ng role model
"I feel more confident with my public speaking skills and more comfortable doing STEM outreach to children. I am motivated to do more outreach and proud to be part of the STEM community!" Katherine Frangos
“I never saw myself as a role model before. The program helped set my mind at ease and prepare me to get out of my comfort zone and undertake this challenge. It was truly a unique experience and meeting the kids and doing the sessions was so rewarding.” Rebecca Varga-Schembri
"I have absolutely loved this programme... It has been super rewarding to see the children's enthusiasm grow week after week. My confidence has improved and I’m seeing changes in how I perform at work too – especially in meetings. Even doing my first social media post was a big step for me!" Julie Denzler
What first inspired you to begin this journey?
Growing up with a sister with disabilities made me acutely aware of the stark inequalities in life. This sparked a fire in me for equity and inclusion. But as a shy wallflower for many years I was powerless to do anything about it. In my 20s I found my courage. In my 30s I found my voice. In my 40s I recognised I was a role model with the power to make positive change.
For over 15 years I loved being an engineer in industry. Working on incredible projects across the UK and internationally. But, without more diversity in STEM our industries are stifled. Diversity drives innovation. This is the key to solving our Global Challenges and it's urgent we do more to tackle this problem now.
This is why I left my role as a Technical Director in London, to focus full time on STEMAZING to create a stronger, more diverse STEM future.
I now run STEMAZING from our home in Northumberland, where I live with my husband, our two kids and dog. I wear multiple hats but all with a focus on EDI - from mentoring, to training, to speaking, to running fun STEMAZINGKids experiments in schools! I'm reminded every day why this work is so important, and why we have to keep pushing for positive progress.
Tell us about your experience at this year’s National Diversity Awards ceremony.
I felt so privileged and honoured to even be finalist and be invited to the awards, I was absolutely not expecting to win as there are so many incredible people doing outstanding work in the field of gender diversity around the UK. When my name was called out I was in total shock. I hadn’t prepared a speech and I hadn’t seen the video montage my team had put together which was playing on the screens as I walked up to the stage – so I was very emotional! I could barely get any words out and was shaking like a leaf, but it was an amazing feeling to receive this award on behalf of every single person that is part of the impact we are making in STEMAZING.
How do you think winning this award will influence your work or your future goals?
Winning this award helps solidify our goal of amplifying our impact with women and non-binary people in STEM and grow our impact with young people all around the UK and beyond. The award has helped create more visibility of what we offer and ensure more people are aware of how they can get involved in this STEM inclusion revolution!
Which of your projects, initiatives, or campaigns are you most proud of, and why do you think they’ve had such a strong impact?
The Inspiration Academy is the programme that stands out to me as the one that has so many benefits for society – for women in STEM, for young children, for teachers, for STEM organisations and for society at large!
Looking back, is there anything you would approach differently now, or something you’ve learned along the way that changed your perspective?
The only thing I would change is how I wish I had been bolder sooner and left my comfort zone for the opportunity to create real impact without waiting for the permission that would never come.
What advice would you give to others who want to make a positive difference in their community or workplace?
Find what you are passionate about. Work out how your skills, experience, values align with that. Explore the opportunities for you to make a difference in that space. Then go for it. Offer help to others already doing something in this space. Create your own opportunities for positive impact. Have a curious, creative and courageous mindset so you can experiment, learn and adapt until you find the right path for you right now.
Who has inspired or supported you most on your journey, and how have they influenced your work?
Looking back it was my sister who first influenced this path I am on now. She has remained a constant source of inspiration as someone whos managed living with multiple disabilities her whole life. Being an advocate for equity, diversity and inclusion and creating opportunities for others to thrive is something that was borne in me out of seeing the barriers she faced.
What does receiving a National Diversity Award mean to you personally, and to the community or cause you represent?
It means the world to me personally, but I can’t take credit. It is the support and hard work from so many others around me that makes it all possible.
Is there anything you’d like to see from local or national government that could better support your work or others doing similar things?
We need a top-down and bottom-up approach to attracting and retaining diverse talent in STEM. I would love to see more relatable STEM role models embedded into our young people’s education journey and I would love to see more investment in initiatives that engage and inspire young people, from grassroots in Primary schools to pursue STEM.
What’s next for you?
We are progressing our STEMAZING SPARK initiative to support and empower more neurodiverse women and women with disabilities to be the relatable STEM role models young people with additional support needs can see. This is an extension of our current work to amplify diversity and inclusion in STEM and I’m excited to see where we can take it.
Thank you for sharing your story, we can’t wait to celebrate your continued journey!