Xenia Kazakov

Meet Xenia Kazakov: STEM & Style Unfiltered

My path to this role as a Stem Education advocate and fashionista has hardly been linear: from the dimly lit cubicles of corporate anonymity to the calling of my heart, I am finally here. This is the story of the girl with the dream and wardrobe to match, who ventured beyond risk and limitation, and became the girl with the voice for a generation that wanted change.

The Grind: Zero to Hero

Imagine a 22 year-old Xenia sitting in front of an 8-paneled zoom meeting, buried under spreadsheets, coffee-stained blazers, no sleep! Just another number on the corporate treadmill with a nagging sense that I was meant for more. But behind the curtain I was devotedly obsessed with two things: science and style. While my colleagues spent lunchtime discussing the minute hand of the clock signaling 5:00 pm, I was terrified of missing the opening of coding bootcamps across town, and knew the ins and outs of every astrophysics robbery podcast that kept me company throughout my nights and weekends (give me a break, after working a corporate job, looking at the latest Vogue Runway was borderline research!).

Then, there was a pivotal moment. A layoff. A break-up. An [absolutely] facilitated moment of "What the hell am I doing with my life?". So I did what every sane, slightly psychotic fashionista does— I reinvented myself. I had a brand before the brand, a sausage of brain candy I called STEM with a side of stilettos. My argument was why should a genius dress like they are the embodiment of extinction?

The Rise: Wearing Heels & Breaking Barriers

Fast forward to this morning. ESSA and 3M paid for me to speak at TEDx, I presented with NASA and their engineers (and yes, they enjoy a tightly tailored suit that has structure), and I support an online community of 500K+ future scientists, coders, and innovators. My mission was and still is, to show girls: intelligence is sexy; curiosity is contagious; and you can absolutely wear a lab coat like it is Balenciaga.

And let's not sugar coat it, this lifestyle is not all glitz and graphene cured nights. Every post, talk, and late-night DM, that is acquiesced by a kid saying, "You made me believe I belong in STEM" is validation of representation. I serve it. I serve it on a plate of sarcasm and a perfected eyeliner wink.

The Vision: There is More!

The near and distant future is bright, bold and unapologetically us. I am building a world where girls do not have to make a choice between being seen and being smart; where STEM is not equated to equations and formulas, but is art, fashion, and power. We are just getting started.

So if you are ready—let's do this conversation around thinking critically, dressing perfectly, and totally impacting your world definitively—Welcome to the revolution. Let's GO.