By CAGIS
CAGIS Project Coordinator, Catherine McKenzie, was recognized as the 2025 YWCA Hamilton Woman of Distinction for STEM | Trades. This well-deserved honour is for Catherine’s work breaking barriers for girls and gender-diverse youth in STEM with the Canadian Association for Girls in Science (CAGIS).
The YWCA Hamilton Women of Distinction Awards, now in its 49th year, honours women and gender-diverse people making exceptional contributions to society. The STEM | Trades award is for an individual who “recognizes the importance of elevating women and gender-diverse people in non-traditional occupations, leading by example and creating future opportunities” in those fields. Catherine epitomizes this description and has worked tirelessly to break barriers for girls and gender-diverse youth with CAGIS.
CAGIS is Canada’s largest and longest-running STEM (science, technology, trades, engineering, and math) club for girls and gender-diverse youth aged 7-17. This award-winning club, founded in 1992, supports interest in STEM with virtual programming and local clubs that visit labs, workshops, and field sites to meet mentors and do fun, hands-on activities.
Catherine discovered CAGIS when her eldest daughter, Delia, was age seven. They attended a public CAGIS event with a variety of fun STEM stations and had so much fun that they joined the CAGIS Oakville club. When Catherine’s younger daughter, Jill, turned seven, she joined as well. From there, they went on monthly adventures, practicing pipetting skills with a geneticist, creating electronic light-up LED cards with an electrician, and more.
When Delia was age eleven, she attended a CAGIS event that changed her life and led her to her current animation technology program. Learn about Delia’s journey with CAGIS here. Catherine’s younger daughter, Jill, is finishing high school and applying to STEM programs, also inspired by her time with CAGIS.
Catherine was impressed with the impact CAGIS Oakville was having on her daughters, the breadth of careers to which they were exposed in fun, hands-on, engaging ways, led by incredible STEM role models. When a position was advertised within CAGIS, Catherine jumped at the opportunity to apply. She wanted to provide opportunities and break barriers for other girls and gender-diverse youth, as she had seen CAGIS do for her own daughters.
Since joining CAGIS as an employee in 2019, Catherine has demonstrated incredible leadership to the CAGIS community of volunteers, STEM role models, and, most importantly, to CAGIS families and their girls and gender-diverse youth. Catherine has played an instrumental role in developing, launching, and running several of CAGIS’ impactful programs for girls and gender-diverse youth, including CAGIS Chapters, CAGIS Virtual, and the CAGIS Teen Ambassadors Program. Her mentorship and guidance have propelled numerous youths to discover new fields and follow their dreams.
Catherine’s ongoing dedication to her work within CAGIS is inspired by the impact she sees among youth and graduates from our programs. This impact ranges from seeing a child’s face light up when they discover something new to teen participants who were inspired and supported by their experiences within CAGIS to get scholarships, get their pilot’s license, go into interesting and rewarding postsecondary programs, and continue the cycle of mentorship to support the next generation as CAGIS volunteers.
In Catherine’s words, “At this moment in time, supporting girls and gender-diverse youth in STEM is more critical than ever. We know that representation matters, role models matter, and we know that when we remove barriers and create inclusive spaces, the whole world benefits.”
