Lancashire aerospace engineer and Miss World contestant on a mission to get more women into STEM

  • Zoe Muldoon caught up with Jessica Gagen from Mumbai where the Miss World contest is taking place

Miss England, an aerospace engineer from East Lancashire, is using her high profile to encourage more women to get into science and engineering jobs.

Jessica Gagen from Skelmersdale won the Miss England competition back in 2022 and is now competing in Miss World in Mumbai, India.

The 27-year-old is now through to the final 40 of the competition and is one of the favourites to win Miss World 2024.

Miss World, with Jessica representing England, is taking place in Mumbai. Credit: Miss World

Part of Miss World involves contestants sharing their ideas for how to make the world a better place.

Jessica said: "It is quite tough in terms of the girls being absolutely incredible. Every single on of them is a role model in her own way and every single one of them is inspiring and represent so many different things."

She started getting into pageantry when she started her degree in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Liverpool.

Jessica won Miss England in 2022. Credit: Jessica Gagen

She said she wants to inspire women to get into the industry: "It's important that we get more women into the industry.

"We think completely differently to men and that helps us solve problems. It's about what you are exposed to and a great example would be this.

"I use a hairdryer most days so it's probably going to occur to me the thought of creating a hairdryer that doesn't make noise.

"But for a man that might not use a hairdryer everyday, that thought might not come to his head because he is not exposed to it and that's why we need more women in engineering because we think of different things."

Jessica competing in Miss World in Mumbai. Credit: Miss World

Jessica said the point of the Miss World pageant is "beauty with a purpose".

"There are girls raising awareness for certain medical conditions, there are girls going into schools and helping children learn different languages. It is a huge field."

Jessica said she has a large support network in Skelmersdale and the community in Liverpool where she did her degree.

"I'm representing people who are so close to my heart and so many people that have been part of this journey with me."

Jessica was invited to the United States to visit NASA in 2023 and said it was a "phenomenal experience and another fantastic platform to get more women interested in the industry."

In the future she hopes to work in human space flight and said that if she wins Miss World she will use her platform to get more women into STEM careers.

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