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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…

Pooja Arora

I’ve always believed that when you take care of people, success follows naturally. As a child, I dreamed of becoming a teacher, tutoring kids who couldn’t afford lessons. Science fascinated me, leading me to a master’s in software engineering while keeping my passion for dance alive. Excelling academically, I secured top placements. After moving to…

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…

Marlene Alaiach

In high school, I had no idea what I wanted to study. I picked Applied Science from a uni course guide, hoping to become a doctor. After two years at Griffith University, I realised a Bachelor of Applied Science wasn’t for me. With my Grandad and Dad both builders, and my older brother studying Civil…

Rebecca Azzopardi

Growing up, I didn’t really know what I wanted to be. It wasn’t until my school’s career advisor recommended looking into Chemical Engineering (when I was in Year 12) that I considered becoming an engineer – up until that point, I thought all engineers built roads and cars, which I wasn’t super interested in. Not…

Grace Upton

My journey to where I am now has been anything but straightforward. After finishing school, I wasn’t sure who or what I wanted to be, but I knew I wanted a job where every day was different, full of problem-solving, and involved my passion for numbers. Encouraged to pursue engineering, I graduated with a bachelor’s…

Tammy Dance

I had no idea I would be the Assistant Operation Manager at the Port of Brisbane. I would come out to the Port as a teenager and hang out with friends riding dirt bikes and playing loud music. I started my career in childcare and did work experience in Year 12 that led into a…

Diana Geaboc

My journey was anything but typical! I did not know what I wanted to do when I finished school, but I knew I wasn’t done learning. I started one university degree (Law), but halfway through realised it wasn’t for me. After a lot of reflection, I decided to try Engineering. I liked finding creative solutions…

Aleksandra Edwards

Growing up, I was forever changing my mind about what I wanted to be when I grew up – an accountant, a journalist, a lawyer…I still wasn’t sure by the time I graduated year 12, but I was accepted into uni and started a Biomedical Science degree. Tertiary-level science wasn’t for me, so I switched…

Angela Gu

I had no idea what I wanted to do when I left school. I was good at maths and science but didn’t know if I necessarily wanted to work in that area. I felt like I wanted to explore my options and see what happened. I started studying human biology and chemistry in university but…

Emma McGivern

When I was in high school I was interested in math and science and also the environment, so I studied environmental engineering. When I finished university, I applied for various graduate jobs and was successful with Rio Tinto. I was not targeting mining specifically, but I immediately enjoyed the job, especially when I moved to…

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…

Madi Burke

In school, I assumed my career path would be in engineering because I liked maths. In Year 11, I attended an “Aspiring Women in Science” conference, which inspired me to study chemical engineering at uni, aiming for the food and beverage manufacturing industry. During my 3rd year, I realised job opportunities in that field were…

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…

Tanja Albairmanni

I enjoy being known as a bit of a jack-of-all-trades. I was raised as a kid to be a future medical student, and I loved math and science. It was only after my high school chemistry teacher recommended I attend a UQ Women in Engineering event, did I first learn what engineering actually was. After…

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…

Linda Ziebell

In high school I wanted to be a pilot in the Airforce, so a good friend suggested doing an engineering degree first and then going to the Australian Defence Force. I started university at 17 and was away from home. It was difficult. I took some time off and travelled overseas before returning to university…

Kerli Metsoja

I vividly remember being in grade 4 and the teacher wheeling out the classroom TV and putting on An Inconvenient Truth starring Al Gore. That 118-minute documentary ignited a spark in me for helping the environment. Growing up I considered many careers – chef, paramedic, graphic designer – but none felt quite right. Clearly, I…