Donna co-founded SiSTEM UK with her sister in 2022. It was created as a solution to an ongoing issue of lack of representation of women specifically black women within the STEM (science, technology, and mathematics) industry.
Donna had a passion for engineering despite not achieving the entry requirement and the discouragement from teachers she still broke barriers and studied mechanical engineering at university. Whilst she was at university, she felt very isolated as one of the few women on her course. It was support of her sisterhood which gave her the courage to complete the course. Since then, she has gone on to complete a master’s degree and now she is starting her PhD in Gender Equity in STEM. The beauty in her journey is that at every step, she has opened doors for other young ladies. SiSTEM launched as a social media platform to increase representation of women in STEM. When you searched #womeninSTEM, there was a lack of black women. It became her mission to change this. As well as showcasing women in STEM, SiSTEM educated their audience on different carers within STEM. A community of women grew and the SiSTEM movement began. Donna goes into schools, universities, festivals and anywhere that would give her a platform educating people on engineering and debunking the notion that engineering is just for men. She leads her team with unique visions through events, workshops, mentoring and social media to increase and retain women in STEM.