Gonzalo Gortázar, Chief Executive Officer of CaixaBank, and Alberto Granados, President of Microsoft in Spain, presented the WONNOW Awards to the best female STEM degree students - sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics - from Spanish universities.

Through this initiative, both organisations reward, for the fifth consecutive year, female excellence in technical university degrees, promote diversity and help to reduce the gender gap in these sectors, where there are enormous employment opportunities and where women’s presence is low.

Best academic records of STEM university students in Spain

The winning students in this edition were selected from 975 students from 57 universities across Spain who entered this year, which represents a 34.8% increase in participation compared to the previous edition. These awards have established themselves as prestigious awards in the university sector, and over the five editions held so far, more than 2,700 students have participated.

The range of the marks of the finalists for the cash prize over the five editions was between 9.51 and 9.91 out of 10, with the difference between the lowest and highest mark being only 0.4 points and with an average mark of 9.7.

The WONNOW Awards are in response to key issues for CaixaBank and Microsoft: diversity and a commitment to technology and digital training. They are also a strong reflection of the values that both organisations share, including social commitment, working to achieve equality and the recognition of excellence.

The academic records, personal, educational, professional and social achievements of participants were assessed to choose the winners. The winner of the cash prize is:

•  Irene Abril (Madrid). A graduate in Physics at the Complutense University of Madrid and with a master’s of Advanced Study of Astrophysics from Cambridge University and currently studying for a doctorate at Cambridge University in Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, she received the award because she had the best academic record, personal, educational, professional and social achievements in this edition, winning 10.000 euros. She will also have access to a mentoring programme offered by Microsoft.

The other 10 winning students have access to paid internships to work for six months in the CaixaBank Group and participate in the development of innovative projects connected to the transformation of the financial sector. They will also benefit from the mentoring programme offered by Microsoft.

• Leire Arribas (Burgos). A graduate in Engineering and Industrial Design at the University of Deusto.
• Carmen Casas (Calahorra). A graduate in Physics at the University of Granada.
• Michelle A. Fernández (Málaga). A graduate in Industrial Electronic Engineering at the University of Málaga and studying for a master’s in Electronic Systems for Smart Environments at the University of Málaga.
• Alicia Martínez (Cartagena). A dual degree graduate in Physics and Mathematics from the University of Granada.
• Flàvia Ferrús (Alicante). A dual degree graduate in Mathematics and Physics from Barcelona Autonomous University and studying for a master’s in Advanced Mathematics and a master’s in the Fundamental of Data Science at the University of Barcelona.
• Alicia Burgos (Pamplona). A graduate in Mathematics from the University of La Rioja and a master’s in Decisions Systems Engineering from King Juan Carlos University.
• Amaia Zarranz (San Sebastián). A dual degree graduate in Business Administration and Management and Computer Engineering from the University of Deusto.
• Carlota Llacuna (Mataró). She has a degree in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology from Barcelona Autonomous University, a master’s in Health Biotechnology, Technology and Biotechnological Business Management from the Centre for Higher Studies of the Pharmaceutical Industry (CESIF) and a postgraduate degree in Investment Decisions from the Open University of Catalonia.
• Júlia Laguna (Valldoreix-Barcelona). Studying for a dual degree in Physics and Mathematics at Barcelona Autonomous University.
• Ana Isabel Gálvez (Granada). She has a degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Seville and a dual master’s in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Seville and the University of Lisbon.