Electrical Engineering graduate awarded for overcoming adversity
Date: Friday, December 20, 2024
An Electrical Engineering graduate has won a prestigious industry award for overcoming adversity and excelling academically.
Kailey Mills, who graduated from Wrexham University with a first class degree earlier this year, won the Engineering Student of the Year award at the recent Engineering Talent Awards.
The Engineering Talent Awards celebrate the diversity of the engineering and technology profession and aims to raise the profile of the sector across the UK, as well as highlight diversity in engineering on a national platform.
Kailey, who has hearing loss in both ears, was nominated for overcoming adversity after navigating a number of challenges, including successfully gaining a full-time Engineering position while studying, resulting in her needing to change her degree to part-time.
Kailey’s studies were also impacted by the Covid pandemic as the use of masks affected her interpreter’s ability to interpret her lectures.
On top of her studies and work, she also managed to juggle a busy home life as a mum of three children aged between 8 and 16 years old.
Currently, Kailey works as an Engineer Trainer at EA Technology near Chester.
Speaking about winning the award, she said: “It feels amazing to have been recognised in this way and the challenges and setbacks that I encountered along the way now definitely feel worth it.
“As a deaf person, sometimes it can feel as though people can’t see past that and that can be incredibly frustrating, and often upsetting but my experience in my new role at EA, as well as my experience with the University’s Engineering department has been brilliant and extremely supportive.
“The environment at the University is really special – you’re treated with kindness and respect from lecturers, technicians and fellow students alike – you’re a name not a number, and that really has made a big difference to my studies.”
Kailey was nominated for the award by Scott Youens, who previously worked at Wrexham University as an Engineering Technician.
Outlining his reasons for nominating Kailey, he said: “Kailey is simply excellent – she is an Engineer with a first-class mind and determination to use it. She represents a section of society which is under-represented in Engineering and STEM fields.
“She works hard to achieve her goals whilst holding down a full time job and a family. She is a talented Engineer who thinks laterally and can provide solutions for difficult problems.
“She has performed incredibly well in her role as a graduate Engineer, operating at a level which exceeded her knowledge and experience, she has encountered challenging, highly technical situations and has never failed to deliver.
“As a professional, she is developing training apparatus and strategies on behalf of her workplace and she is also an active member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology and a representative for women in Engineering.
Dr Martyn Jones, Senior Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering at Wrexham University, added: “On behalf of the Engineering department here at the University, I’d like to congratulate Kailey for receiving this incredible award and for all of her hard work and determination to succeed.
“She has accomplished and overcome so much – and is a fantastic role model for girls and young women, who are wanting to pursue a career in Engineering.”
Photo caption: Kailey is pictured with her award and Buster, her hearing dog.