The Bletchley Institute is proud to honor the Q2 2025 award winners, recognizing exceptional professionals who have made significant strides in their careers. These awards celebrate individuals for their outstanding contributions to their respective fields, with winners selected based on their innovation, leadership, and dedication to excellence.
This cohort represents a diverse group of professionals, each excelling in fields ranging from software engineering to data science, user experience design, and game development. With winners from all over the globe, we celebrate their outstanding achievements, innovative contributions, and dedication to their craft.
A Global Showcase of Talent
This cohort of award winners hails from 8 countries, across 4 continents. They represent the future of technology and creativity, working for some of the world's most sought-after companies and organizations. We are particularly proud to highlight that more than half of this group are from underrepresented groups, emphasizing our commitment to diversity.
Recognizing Early Career Trailblazers and Ascending Professionals
The Bletchley Awards are divided into two categories: the Ascent Award and the Trailblazer Award. The Ascent Award recognizes individuals with five or more years of experience who continue to excel and grow within their fields. The Trailblazer Award celebrates individuals in the first five years of their careers who have already made a significant impact.
Among the twenty award winners, thirteen individuals have been honored with the Trailblazer Award, which celebrates those in the first five years of their career who have already made significant contributions and shown exceptional promise. The remaining seven recipients have been awarded the Ascent Award, recognizing individuals with five or more years of experience who have demonstrated outstanding achievements and continued growth in their fields.
Meet the Winners
Trailblazer Award Winners:
- Adam Schroeder (Community Manager, Plotly, United States)
- Avery Brown-Gathings (Software Engineer, Lowe's, United States)
- Catherine Williams (UX Designer, Freelance, United States)
- Filzah Shafiq (Software Engineer and Mastery Quest winner, United States)
- Francisco Munoz (Satellite Communications Operator, US Army, United States)
- John Erler (Software Engineer III, Bakkt, United States)
- Justin Shanklin (Consultant, Self-employed, United States)
- Laura Miller (Analytics Consultant and Mastery Quest winner, United States)
- Mason Barnes (Software Engineer and Mastery Quest winner, United States)
- Nitant Bhagat (Software Engineer and Mastery Quest winner, United States)
- Samuel Ou (Software Engineer and Mastery Quest winner, United States)
- Zachary Eanes (Student and Mastery Quest winner, United States)
Ascent Award Winners:
- Benoît Puech (Software Developer, Capgemini, France)
- Kedasha Kerr (Developer Advocate, GitHub, United States)
- Linda Ramos (Software Engineer, GoodRX, United States)
- Randy Rajaram (UX Designer, AWS, United States)
- Shanon McKenzie (Founder, Ground Zero Digital, Australia)
- Stefan Kość (Software Engineer, Warsaw Stock Exchange, Poland)
- Yiyi Zhang (Game Developer/Board of Directors, GUMBO Collective Inc., United States)
Join Us in Celebrating
We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all the award winners. Your dedication, innovation, and exceptional contributions continue to inspire the community. You are not just shaping the future of technology, design, and creativity—you’re reimagining it. As you continue to push boundaries, we are excited to watch your journeys unfold.
Together, we can dare mighty things, continue to foster a community of excellence, and drive the future of innovation forward.
Congratulations once again to all our outstanding award winners!
