Why STEMunity?

Collaboration is at the heart of the STEM approach, after seeing the powerful impact of providing young people with STEM opportunities, I wanted to build our collaborative approach to impact more young people. STEMunity is our way to connect more young people with life-changing opportunities.

What is your career journey?

Marine Biology is what I studied as an undergrad, the marine ecosystem has always fascinated me, I thoroughly enjoyed my degree and went on to study to become a teacher. I’ve spent the past 13 years teaching at Portsmouth. During that time I completed my MA in Teaching and Learning and my NPQML/SL as lifelong learning is important to me. I joined the RAEng CST programme at the same time as Jorden and I’m so grateful for all the opportunities that it has provided.

Who is your STEM role model?

Why STEMunity?

My passion is diversity in STEM, I wanted to create opportunities for underrepresented young people to access more STEM opportunities and create a community of STEMspriation both locally and nationally. I also wanted to provide more access and knowledge about STEM careers to teachers and families, creating STEM conversations in every classroom and home.

What is your career journey?

I have an Engineering degree and after a brief stint in management decided to become a secondary science teacher and never looked back. I have over 10 years’ experience, teaching in a range of schools and was lucky enough to join the CST programme with the Royal Academy of Engineering back in 2016, leading in STEM for my region.

Who is your STEM role model?

Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE, represents everything that we stand for as a charity and has reached so many fantastic milestones while impacting the lives of so many young people.

Interesting fact about me:

I worked for a summer in New York at a children’s summer camp and in Ghana at a baby orphanage.

Why did you become a trustee?

This is an incredible cause led by two incredible individuals who I believe will make a positive impact.

What is your career journey?

Investment banking, with a brief stint in VC, until transitioning to run a division of a leading British retail bank. For the last six years, I have been running the global division of a Chinese fintech.

Who is your STEM role model?

An obvious choice, Elon Musk. Through adversity, he has challenged standard conventions to trailblaze energy, automotive and space travel.

Interesting fact about me:

Over the course of my twenties I was an adrenaline thrill seeker – from the running of the bulls, shark diving and white water rafting the source of the Nile, to the highest bungee jump in the world, sky diving the cape peninsula and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro (to name a few…).

Why did you become a trustee?

I became a trustee because I was so inspired by the work and vision Laura and Jorden shared with me and wanted to support them make their vision come to life. I was also immediately hooked in finding out more about the STEM community and have silent hours watching videos of experiments on social media!

What is your career journey?

I studied Set Design for Stage and Screen at Wimbledon School of Art and realised it was all very technical and mathematical. Which isn’t really me! So I ended up finding a whole world of set design that was geared around still image like magazine shoots and window displays. I graduated and started freelancing helping to make hats for Lady GaGa and making sets for music videos for Arctic Monkeys and the Saturdays.

Who is your STEM role model?

Working for the Body Shop my STEM role model has to be Dame Anita Roddick who not only founded the Body Shop in 1976 in Brighton but originally made her own beauty products and offered a refill solution from the ordinal tiny shop in the Lanes in Brighton which at the time were groundbreaking.

Interesting fact about me:

I paddle board in the sea in sunny Southsea! When it’s not raining!

Why did you become a trustee?

Because as a STEM graduate myself and a teacher of 20+ years I’ve seen first-hand the positive impact STEM in education can have on the whole child in terms of learning and the world of opportunities it opens up.

What is your career journey?

Primary Teacher and leader for 24 years. Trade union official for 20+ years working at local, regional, national and international levels.

Who is your STEM role model?

Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, was a pioneering physician and political campaigner. She was the first Englishwoman to qualify as a doctor. In 1908, she became the mayor of the town, the first female mayor in England. She was also a member of the suffragette movement and her daughter Louisa was a prominent suffragette.

Interesting fact about me:

I trained as a Primary School teacher with a specialism in Design Technology.

Why did you become a trustee?

Desire to move the aims of the charity forwards.

What is your career journey?

Some 40 years HR experience specialising in Employee Relations. I have worked in both the public and private sectors as well as in consultancy roles. My last role was in a US multinational covering European Employee Relations including the establishment of a European Works Council for the organisation. I have extensive experience in working in unionised environments and dealing with all aspects of Employment Law in the UK, Europe and the UAE.

Who is your STEM role model?

Lewis Hamilton, has done lots of STEM outreach with young people.

Interesting fact about me:

Simply love all aspects of football including coaching, playing and following Southampton home and away.