(WTNH) — Fifty women leading in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) here in Connecticut were honored for their work during the 16th Annual Women of Innovation.

RELATED: Meet one of this year’s Women of Innovation winners

Wanjiku (Wawa) Gatheru won the Collegian Innovation and Leadership Award.

Gatheru aspires to pursue a public service career empowering the community of color in the environmental decision-making process. She is an environmental justice advocate passionate about creating a more inclusive environmental movement. 

The proud daughter of Kenyan immigrants is a recent graduate from the University of Connecticut. In 2020, she became the first African American person in American history to receive the Truman, Udall, and Rhodes Scholarships. 

Now at Oxford University, Gatheru aspires to continue her studies at the intersections of critical race theory, environmental policy, and traditional knowledge systems.