Miss WorldMiss World Miss World Miss World Miss World Jess' #STEMSchoolTalks have become extremely popular in the UK, but what are they about, and what inspired them?
"I started my STEM School Talks a few years ago, long before becoming Miss England! I was studying for my degree in aerospace engineering, and having took note of the lack of females in my classes, I looked back at my own life and wondered why I hadn't picked engineering sooner - it was because I didn't know what it was.
When I was younger I assumed that engineering meant woodwork and metalwork, dressed in overalls all day, and I wasn't interested. It was only years down the line that I learned what it was and where it could lead, as well as how academically challenging the subject is, so I made it my mission to tackle the problem from the ground up and educate our schoolchildren about all of the exciting things they can become when they grow up!
My talks change depending on age group, but for the most part, I'll talk about my journey to aerospace engineering, the things I studied during my degree, the skills engineers have, the industries that like engineers and exciting engineering topics which concern sustainability.
Across the world, engineering companies have incentives to recruit more females into the workforce, yet stats show that in mechanical and aerospace engineering, hardly a difference has been made - with a recent study discovering that only 14% of the global population of aerospace engineers are female.
I try my best to link the subject to things the children already like to do - like arts and crafts, science and maths, and diminish stereotypes around the subject which I used to believe when I was younger. I like to show young girls that femininity and engineering aren't mutually exclusive, and empower them whilst I'm doing it.
I've lost count of the amount of children I've spoken to - just in June last year I visited 6 schools which tallied up to a few thousand children. I really do love my #STEMSchoolTalks".2y Miss World Jessica is a successful fashion model, holding an international career spanning more than a decade, and uses her platform as Miss England to encourage young girls into STEM (Science Technology Engineering Maths) careers, having noticed a lack of females in her cohort when studying for her degree in Aerospace Engineering.
Determined to showcase the exciting future of sustainable engineering and showcase that femininity and engineering aren't mutually exclusive, Jessica regularly visits schools to conduct free #STEMSchoolTalks and uses her instagram account to create content aimed to educate the public with simplified explanations of complex topics.
With dreams of one day becoming an astronaut, Jessica has no plans to stop the science communication any time soon, already having received international recognition for her work to increase the number of women in STEM. Jess' work has reached thousands of school children across the UK and millions across the globe via her social outreach, which has led her to speak at the UK House of Lords and The Royal Aeronautical Society, subsequently being made an ambassador for International Women in Engineering Day and of the National Numeracy Charity, and in October 2023 she made international news once more for collaborating with aerospace giant Boeing, who share the same mission.2y Miss World 
