Fionnghuala O'Reilly

She was born to an Irish father and African American mother.[2] She has a Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., which she has used to become a Director of the NASA Space Apps Challenge and a NASA Datanaut. O’Reilly, who goes by Fig, is a member of NASA's Datanaut program within the space agency's Open Innovation program, and also works remotely out of Dublin as a director for Space Apps, which hosts a global innovation incubator hackathon each year in 225 locations around the world.[3]

NASA has a rich history of women of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated who have made change. The movie Hidden Figures tells the story of three women of Alpha Kappa Alpha who charted the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit during the Space Race from NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia during segregation. The first Black woman in outer space, Mae Jemison is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha. O'Reilly is the first black and biracial woman to represent Ireland at Miss Universe and is the first woman of Alpha Kappa Alpha to compete for Miss Universe. Alpha Kappa Alpha is the first historically black sorority for women founded in 1908. Other notable members include Coretta Scott King and Maya Angelou.[4]

In 2017, O'Reilly competed in Miss District of Columbia USA 2018, where she won a swimsuit award winner and placed as the third runner-up. On August 1, 2019, O'Reilly competed in the Miss Universe Ireland 2019 pageant at the Round Room of the Mansion House on Dublin's Dawson Street. She went on to win the competition. The sterling event was hosted by social media star James Patrice and Director of Miss Ireland Brittany Mason. She was crowned by outgoing, Grainne Gallanagh. As Miss Universe Ireland, she represented Ireland at the Miss Universe 2019 and her platform spotlighted the need for diversity and women in STEM (science, technology, engingeering, and math).[5][6]