Lewis Hamilton Pays Tribute to Mulberry STEM Academy Students During Visit to Mulberry School for Girls
Lewis Hamilton recently visited the Mulberry School for Girls to personally witness the impact of the Mulberry Schools Trust and Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix’s Accelerate 25 partnership on empowering students from under-represented backgrounds towards careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).
During his visit, Lewis actively participated in various hands-on STEM activities, engaging in a STEM fair, delving into a Robotics lesson to learn about coding, and immersing himself in an arts experience that showcased the students’ technical prowess in digital and production arts. The visit exemplified Lewis Hamilton’s commitment to supporting and encouraging diversity in STEM education.
“A huge thank you to all the students and staff at the Mulberry Schools Trust for welcoming me into their school,” Lewis said.
“It was an honour to meet so many passionate and intelligent students, and to see the game-changing work that the Mulberry Schools Trust and our team are doing to inspire and support young engineers and bring increased diversity to motorsport.
“I hope the students continue to believe in themselves and go on to show the rest of the world what they are capable of.”
Following their classroom learning, the students had the opportunity to showcase their Racetrack Garage to Lewis Hamilton, unveiling their Greenpower Trust cars with pride. Established in 2020 as a pivotal component of the Accelerate 25 program, the Mulberry STEM Academy stands as an innovative collaboration between the team and the Mulberry Schools Trust.
This groundbreaking partnership goes beyond conventional education, offering imaginative teaching, career coaching, and valuable industry experience. Throughout the journey, students receive continuous support and guidance from team members, aligning with the primary objective of promoting diversity within STEM, Formula One, and the team itself.
As the program approaches the culmination of its third year, an impressive 271 students have participated to date, with a substantial number choosing to further their STEM education. Beyond the immediate impact, the initiative has extended its reach to hundreds of primary-aged children through dynamic, hands-on Mulberry STEM Roadshow events, reinforcing its commitment to fostering interest and diversity in STEM fields.
Dr Vanessa Ogden, CEO of the Mulberry Schools Trust said: “Sir Lewis is one of the great, inspirational role models of our time.
“His determination, self-discipline, and commitment to his sport as well as his authenticity, modesty and kindness shine through his success on and off the racetrack. Students respect this and today, they celebrated him – and his achievements – in true Mulberry style.
“It’s a visit they will remember for the rest of their lives, inspiring them to go on to greater things themselves.”
Paul Mills, Chief People Officer at Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix, expressed his enthusiasm after visiting Mulberry School for Girls alongside Lewis. Witnessing the students’ talent firsthand and recognizing the brightness of their futures was an exciting experience for him.
“On behalf of everyone at the team, I would like to thank Vanessa, the Mulberry Schools Trust teachers and staff, and of course, the students for putting on such a spectacular programme of events for us.
“We are truly proud of our partnership with the Mulberry Schools Trust, and we can’t wait to see the graduates of our STEM Academy programme walk through our factory doors in the future.”
