Future Star nominee – Aurelia Brzezowska

Future Star nominee – Aurelia Brzezowska

“I never owned a computer until I came to University of Staffordshire.”

And yet, three years later, 21 year-old Aurelia Brzezowska has just been named STEAM Personality of the Year at the Inspirational Youth Awards and is seen as one of the leading young technology changemakers in the UK.

A Computer Science undergraduate student at University of Staffordshire, Aurelia is dedicated to promoting diversity, inclusion and opportunities through her passion for the subject.

Aurelia moved to the UK from Poland when she was six years old. She was stimulated from a young age by, in her own words, “breaking things and putting them back together”.

In 2023 Aurelia received a RAEng scholarship to attend university, where she is now seen as an inspirational figure within that community and beyond.

She has held a number of roles and responsibilities during her time at University of Staffordshire including STEM Ambassador, Youth Advisory Panellist for the UK Cyber Security Council, Manager of the Staffs Computing Society and Co-Founder of the Staffs Women in STEM Society.

In 2024 Aurelia founded Byte Queens – a UK-based network for women in technology which is changing the conversation on representation in STEM by empowering women from disadvantaged backgrounds to excel in computing and by offering opportunities to support development.

Aurelia says she is driven by a desire to give back. This stems from her own childhood and educational journey and her work not only positively affects university students but the wider Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire community.

Aurelia said: “I came from a single-parent immigrant household, and I could barely read when I was younger.

“I was the only girl who took Computer Science at A Level in my college and I have always wanted to be a role model. I have a real focus on supporting those from lower socio-economic backgrounds and encouraging more girls to pursue STEM subjects.

“My community helped me to get to where I am now and so I want to give back to the community whenever I can. I am passionate about helping others to access educational opportunities.

“My recent STEAM award truly means the world to me. But this is just the beginning. I’m more motivated than ever to have an impact on as many people as possible.”

Aurelia Brzezowska has been nominated in the Future Star category of the Your Heroes Awards 2025.