“You can be yourself” Hampshire aerospace engineer hopes to break more barriers as she competes for Miss England title

A Hampshire rocket engineer is relishing the opportunity to challenge stereotypes for women as she takes part in the Miss World England finals.

Maleha Khan, 27, from Swanmore, was crowned Miss Hampshire last year and will represent the county in next week’s competition which she said is a fantastic platform to help break down barriers for women in male-dominated fields.

She said: "Throughout my career I’ve had the pleasure of being able to incorporate advocacy for women in STEM and entering male dominated fields, and that has been through various airshows, public speaking and talks.

“But last year I was offered the opportunity to speak from a very different platform which is Miss World England, and during my experience last year going through the competition I became Miss Hampshire. It is such a delight to be able to represent women where I am from, and the experience gave me a whole different light of seeing how you can reach out to people and share personal stories.

“It’s so much more powerful to demonstrate what you think is important about women entering fields that they might not associate with beauty, fashion and being yourself.”

Maleha is a propulsion engineer working on the world’s first long-term hydrogen rocket design and also presents lectures at the Royal Aeronautical Society.

A pilot since just 15 years old, she secured four elite flying scholarships from the Royal Air Force, the British Women Pilots Association, and the Honourable Company of Air Pilots. She has flown five different aircraft and helicopters and became a Commander of an RAF University Air Squadron, leading 75 personnel.

With a Master’s degree in Spacecraft Engineering, Maleha has worked with the UK Space Agency, collaborating with NASA, the European Space Agency, UK Space Command, and British astronauts.

The former Portsmouth High School student is one of three women in the final who all want to be the first beauty queens to travel to outer space - after being inspired by the Artemis mission.

Maleha and fellow finalists Jessica Gagen and Maroon Rahman say they all want to inspire other women into STEM subjects after 'breaking down pageantry stereotypes' through their own careers.

As previously reported by The News, the trio believe the mission represents a shift in who gets to be part of space history - with women playing a central role like never before - and they can help inspire a new generation.

“People see these different sides of me,” Maleha explained. “There is the academic side which is in rocket propulsion and flying, and I’ve done five year in engineering and I’ve studied aerospace engineering. A lot of people who do that are afraid to enter the field because they do not fit in, and I’m trying to prove that’s not the case. Particularly with women, I have noticed that they are usually afraid to enter a certain field because they feel that they have to let go of parts of themselves.

“My presence in this competition is really to showcase that you don’t have to do that. You can have a passion for what you do in your career professionally, and passions for other aspects of your life that are part of your personality.

“They don’t have to contradict, they can coincide and you can be seen as a professional.

“It has been a challenging experience being able to manage my worlds in this competition but the support has been immense. I have stayed true to myself.”

But Maleha said that one of the interesting parts of the journey has been bringing together two very different looking worlds.

She said: “One thing that people ask me is, is it harder to land a plane in a crosswind, or walk on a stage in heels, and my answer is that landing a plan is much easier for me. I’ve been flying since I was 15. It is second nature to me.

“I love fashion it is a huge part of my life, when I was younger I wanted to be a fashion designer, but combining that with the public presence, having people judge you for what they want to see and not necessarily for who you are is the most challenging thing for me.

“But I have found through this process that it is totally fine to be yourself. I’m not a runway model, I never have been, I don't look like one, but I feel accepted in this competition for standing up what you believe in.”

The Miss World England final takes place on Tuesday, November 17.