I was truly honoured to win the Judges Recognition Award in the STEM Category at the Network Ireland National Awards 2025, representing Network Ireland Louth on the national stage.
This recognition followed my win as STEM Professional of the Year at Network Ireland Louth’s Business Woman of the Year Awards in May 2025, which gave me the opportunity to go forward and represent Louth at the National Awards. To be recognised again at national level, among STEM category entrants from branches across the country, meant a huge amount, both personally and as a milestone in The Code Lab’s journey.
Our mission at The Code Lab has always been to make coding fun, accessible, and engaging for young learners of all backgrounds. Having that mission acknowledged by a national panel of judges was a wonderful validation of the work that goes into it, from classroom lessons to community-focused initiatives like Girls Can Code.
I want to thank everyone involved in the awards process at Network Ireland, including the national judges Anna-Marie Turley, Stephen Stack, and Ross Munnelly, and the local Louth judges Niamh Shaw, Fionnuala Rogers, and Sarah Boylan of AIB, for believing in me and my work. Thank you also to Astellas Pharma, sponsors of the STEM Category award, and to AIB as overall award sponsor.
Huge thanks to my colleagues in Network Ireland Louth for their support and encouragement throughout, particularly branch secretary Niamh Pentony for keeping us all informed and organised, and branch president Nicola Connolly Byrne for encouraging us all to apply in the first place.
It was a brilliant night for Louth, with three awards travelling home to the branch. Congratulations to my fellow Network Louth members Caroline Duffy, Highly Commended in the Creative Category, and Pauline Clarke, who won Networker of the Year 2025.
Finally, thank you to everyone who has supported and believed in The Code Lab’s vision. Here’s to continuing to inspire the next generation of digital creators.
