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Kara Southwood

I never considered teaching while at High School, as I was pursuing a career as a classically trained ballet dancer. I was always interested in Science and did well in Biology, which led me to complete a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology and Ecotourism. Finding it difficult to secure work in these fields, I…

Donna Stace

From a young age, I knew I wanted to pursue a trade. I entered the resources industry straight out of school and earned my Mechanical Trade qualifications four years later. My career has taken me across oil and gas, construction, building maintenance, mining, and rail – both in Australia and overseas. Often the only woman…

Elena Arens

Driven by curiosity about how business works, I started my career in marketing and brand management and made it all the way up to Director of Marketing and Public Relations for the Russian Bobsleigh Federation. To take it to the next step, I went to Singapore to study an MBA. At that time innovation and…

Olinda Garcia Gomez

I attended an all-girls school in Peru where arts, math and literature were my favorite subjects. After finishing school, I was still unsure about what I wanted and with the guidance of my father, I enrolled in science but was still open for change. However, a three-month apprentice working in a remote mine gave me…

Mariya Novakova

If someone had told me in high school where I’d end up, I would have laughed. I was born in Bulgaria (Eastern Europe), and my childhood was marked by very rough economic and political conditions in the country. At school I was very diligent and always striving to do well academically. I attended a specialised…

Charlie Wilkinson

My journey to becoming an Electrical Engineer has been anything but typical. Although I loved physics at school, my strength in English led me to study it at university. I quickly realised it wasn’t the right path and left to start an Engineering apprenticeship—becoming the only girl among 100 apprentices! After qualifying, I worked as…

Laura Smagin

When I left school, I knew I wanted to pursue a trade. I’d enjoyed technical drawing and applied to the Polytechnical Institute to study architectural design drafting. Over the years, I changed careers several times but I always found my way back to drafting. The tools of the trade have evolved dramatically, from pens, paper…

Lily Hanna

I originally wanted to be a pilot – I thought getting paid to travel the world would be amazing. I applied for the Air Force but didn’t get in, and suddenly I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I’ve always been good at maths and problem solving, so I spoke to my mum about…

Sherry Woodhouse

I lacked a clear career path after school. In year 10, a 3-day multimedia class at the University of Queensland sparked my interest in the field, and I planned to pursue it after high school. However, family influence steered me towards an undergraduate degree in Information Technology (Systems). After graduating during the Dot Com bubble,…

Estefania (Stef) Larranaga

My professional journey began in Uruguay, working in my family’s business while studying law. After graduating and gaining legal experience, I felt a strong desire to broaden my horizons. Together with my husband, we ventured overseas to explore new cultures and improve our English, eventually settling in the vibrant landscapes of New Zealand. Our journey…

Ros Green

At high school I really enjoyed geography and in particular how water shapes coastal landforms. I was good at math, physics and chemistry. So, at a university career day I spoke to someone about a new course starting in civil and environmental engineering and I was assured this course involves working with water and landforms.…

Zoee Shelley

I was good at science and math and liked figuring out how things worked. My dad was an engineer, and I got to try out environmental engineering when I was in year 12 and decided it was something I could see myself doing for work. I didn’t quite get the marks I wanted so my…

Samantha Fowke

I grew up traveling a lot as my dad was in the aviation industry and I caught the travel bug at a young age. In high school I enjoyed studying Maths and Physics as well as Japanese and German, however had no idea what I would do when I finished. I decided to study engineering…

Jaime Burnell

In high school, I assumed my career path would be in physiotherapy or nutrition due to my love for sports. At the same time, I excelled in Maths and Economics, which broadened my academic interests. My mother arranged for me to see a careers counsellor, who conducted strength-based and psychometric testing. This process ultimately led…

Claudia Zapata Aquino

Since I was a kid, I loved maths, which led me to pursue engineering. From a young age, I was captivated not just by how things were built, but by how they were made. By 15, this curiosity drove me toward Industrial Engineering, where I could combine my analytical (math) skills with my interest in…

Cristina Olivie Molina

I enrolled in Industrial Engineering in Madrid after school mainly because it was a broad field, and, although I knew I had an interest in engineering, I wasn’t sure what career I wanted. Through various courses, I found Electrical Engineering interesting and decided to study it further. I spent a year abroad in the US,…

Kirsty Bilton

When I left school, I was set on being an electrical engineer, but through my undergraduate work experience, I realised that traffic engineering was far more interesting and tangible, so sought out work opportunities as a graduate traffic engineer after a three-year post-graduate stint overseas. I started out in a consultancy working on diverse projects…

Sana Fazal

I had a set journey right from the beginning where I knew I had to choose between two career paths – medicine or engineering. I chose electrical engineering with a focus on power generation, which led to an exciting opportunity with a major power generation, transmission, and distribution company in Pakistan. My career began as…

Clare McKellar

In high school, I wanted to study philosophy and economics but I was always very interested in geography and nature, loved the environment from a young age going camping with my family and exploring. However I never thought I would study it, so I enrolled in an Arts Degree to study philosophy and politics. I…

Sarah Webster

I wanted to be a teacher until grade 11, where I was exposed to some accounting and business subjects that I really enjoyed. I selected a commerce degree as I needed a higher year 12 result to study it. I didn’t really know what being an accountant would be like. I finished my university degree…