Fionnghuala (“Fig”) O’Reilly

Fionnghuala (“Fig”) O’Reilly is an actress and TV correspondent for the award-winning and Daytime Emmy-nominated STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) television series, Mission Unstoppable. The show airs weekly nationwide on Saturday mornings on CBS. In 2019, Fig, who is Irish and American, made history as the first woman of color and first Black woman to represent Ireland at an international beauty pageant. In 2019, Fig won Miss Universe Ireland and represented Ireland at the Miss Universe pageant. Fig obtained her bachelor of science in systems engineering from George Washington University. After graduating, Fig became a NASA Datanaut, working within the agency’s data science open innovation program. As a women in stem advocate, she founded Space to Reach, a startup closing the opportunity gap for Black and Brown women in STEM through its membership network. Fig is an ambassador for Engineers Ireland, promoting engineering and stem education for students across Ireland, and in 2021 was the youngest person in the organization’s 186-year history to be voted an honorary fellow. Additionally, Fig is one of the White House Historical Association’s Next-Gen Leaders. In December 2022, she was awarded the African American Irish Diaspora Network’s Heritage and Spirit Award and was recognized by Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin for advocating for communities of color in Ireland. Fig has recently flown in zero gravity and aspires to become a citizen astronaut.