Bio

Fionnghuala (pronounced Fin-new-la) “Fig” O’Reilly is a correspondent for the award-winning and Daytime Emmy-nominated STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) television series, ''Mission Unstoppable with Miranda Cosgrove''. The show airs weekly on Saturday mornings on CBS. An Irish-American beauty pageant titleholder and engineer, the 29 year-old recently made history as the first woman of color and first Black woman to represent Ireland at an international beauty pageant. In 2019, Fig won the Miss Universe Ireland title and represented Ireland at the Miss Universe competition. Fionnghuala obtained her bachelor of science in systems engineering from the George Washington University. After graduating, Fig became a NASA Datanaut, working within the agency’s highly competitive Open Innovation program comprised of engineers and scientists who engage with NASA’s open data to create new thinking, processes and products. O’Reilly’s advocacy for women and diversity in STEM began in 2018 when she founded the non-profit Space Apps DC, the regional host of NASA’s International Space Apps Challenge in Washington, D.C. to engage young people, especially students of color and young women, in Earth science and space innovation. She is also the founder of Space to Reach, a tech startup that connects Black and Brown women in STEM to the tech industry. Fionnghuala is an ambassador for Engineers Ireland and in 2021 was the youngest person in the organization's 186 year history to be voted an Honorary Fellow—“The highest honour, other than the Presidency, that can be bestowed. It is conferred on those distinguished by the importance of their work in engineering, and science.” In 2021, Fionnghuala flew in zero gravity and was recently named on the Independent's list of ''17 Irish people killing it on the world stage''. She has been a speaker for Google and Meta, and has given talks at NYU and the National Space Science Agency for the Kingdom of Bahrain.