Graduate nominated for Engineering Graduate of the Year

Mimi Nwosu, a graduate from BEng (Hons) Civil Engineering, is shortlisted for Engineering Graduate of the Year at the Engineering Talent Awards.

Organised by Equal Engineers, the awards focus on celebrating the diversity in engineering. Judges from key companies in the engineering industry, including Network Rail and SSE, considered her application.  Mimi graduated in 2018 and has been working for Sir Robert McAlpine since 2019.

As part of the entry, Mimi demonstrated her skill in her chosen discipline, as well as the work she’s done to promote the benefits of equality and inclusion in engineering.

People of African and Caribbean descent are underrepresented in the construction industry.

This lack of representation can lead to impostor syndrome and feelings of not fitting in. To change this, Mimi volunteers as a mentor for the Association for BAME Engineers, and is now part of the executive board.

She’s conducted assemblies, run workshops and offered CV and interview advice to students from BAME backgrounds.  

"My journey into engineering began in 2012 when I studied a science degree at university. I didn't enjoy it and I had thought of dropping out completely. Then a friend invited me to his lecture on bridge construction, where I was one of two women in the lecture theatre.

I hadn't heard of civil engineering before, but was so interested I'd written 4 pages of notes. Afterwards, I spoke to the lecturer about what I’d learned, and this encouraged me to stay and switch courses.

Studying civil engineering changed the course of my life and I will be forever grateful."

She now works as an Assistant Materials Engineer in central London. She’s completed materials testing for various projects and clients, and attended multiple conferences throughout the UK. 

Mimi is also a prominent member of the BAME affinity group within Sir Robert McAlpine, where she actively promotes diversity within the organisation. As a result, she’s hosted an Instagram takeover for Go Construct UK, been featured on the Institution of Civil Engineers blog and asked to be a Diversity in Construction Ambassador by the London Build Expo team. 

And due to her advocacy for diversity in STEM and strong work ethic, she’s featured as one of the top 500 inspiring and influential young people in the UK construction industry.

About her nomination, Mimi said:

The winners will be announced at a gala awards dinner evening in London on 23 April 2020.