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Natalie Davenport

I grew up in sunny Florida, where I was fortunate to discover my passion early on. I was inspired by my dad, a Mechanical Engineer, I knew I wanted to follow in his footsteps. At 18, I took a leap of faith and moved to Sydney to pursue my studies at Sydney University. I graduated…

Brooke Griffin

My journey began at the age of 9 when I was fortunate enough to witness a shuttle launch at Cape Canaveral igniting my dream of becoming an astronaut. Driven by my passion for aviation, I pursued a pilots license taking my first solo flight before I could even obtain a learner car permit! However, as…

Ashleigh Mansfield

I am a Senior Consultant at Skotte Group applying my project management skills to large infrastructure projects and if you told me this would be my job when I graduated high school, I wouldn’t have believed you! When I was preparing to leave school, I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do. However, I…

Rachael Kelly

I always loved to draw and use technology in an artistic expression. I also spent a LOT of my time as a child on my dad’s building sites, where he built speculative homes. Looking back, it makes perfect sense to me that architecture would be a natural outlet and career path. That didn’t stop me…

Candice McLean

I was 5 when I told my parents I wanted to be a lawyer but they were most surprised I continued with this career path. After graduating from Griffith University on the Gold Coast (my home town) I spent the next 7 years in private practice. I had my first son 10 years ago, after…

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…

Nicole Berghuis

In Grade 11, we had a Scenes of Crime Officer attend our school for a presentation. I thought it was pretty cool, however, I found the Police uniform intimidating and was unsure of myself and how I would/could get from where and who I was to where and who I wanted to be. Between school,…

Saphy Hau

When I was 12, I watched the documentary Planet Earth. I remember the scene where I saw, for the first time, the impact of mining in scale, and the strong urge to do something and save the planet. Since then, I had always aspired to work as an environmentalist. Out of family expectation, I chose…

Kariza Martin

In year 10 I decided I wanted to be an engineer because I loved physics and math. I decided on Aerospace Engineering because I found flight so fascinating. I studied Aerospace Engineering and Business Management at RMIT University. I had an amazing university experience where I got to study overseas and do an internship at…

Julie Smith

When I was in primary school, I had my heart set on becoming a fighter pilot with the Australian Air Force. This dream influenced the subjects I chose at high school and upon completion of year 12 I was still considering this path. When the time came to decide, I was hesitant to leave home…

Jenny Whitaker

I had no clue what I wanted to do when I finished school.  I dropped out of my first degree (business) after 1 semester and started full time work as an admin assistant while I figured out what I wanted to do.  The State Government Computing Centre (now CITEC) was recruiting for computer operators and…

Caitlin Edgar

My dad has been a Police Officer since I was 8 years old and I was always inspired by his service to the community. Throughout high school, I knew I wanted to do something that was exciting and challenging, so being a Police Officer just seemed right for me. When I left school, I didn’t…

Brodie Barker

After graduating high school with some uncertainty clouding my career path, I embarked on a journey to explore various interests and passions. I stumbled upon the intricacies of law, intrigued by its ability to shape and safeguard society with the possibility of being able to help people. With a newfound determination, I pursued a law…

Kiersten Graae

My journey started with a simple mantra from my parents: ‘You’re either earning or learning.’ Uncertain about my future, I bypassed immediate university entry, opting for real-world experience. After graduation, I landed a full-time receptionist role at a small construction firm, but faced a setback when I lost the job at 19 due to taking…

Brooke James

I am a Construction Coordinator in Civil Construction. When I left school, I was like many others in my year and didn’t quite know what I wanted to do next. After many conversations with my parents, we thought I’d enjoy being a beauty therapist, so I went and completed a Diploma in Beauty Therapy. I…

Joanna Ly

During the final years of school I wanted to be a financial lawyer. But an honest conversation with my biology teacher about my strengths in math and science opened my eyes to engineering. I lo oked up engineering courses during the change in preference window and swapped to a double degree of Environmental Engineering and…

Latisha Whalan

I am a First Nations mother, partner, sister, aunty, Police Officer and friend. I can rarely walk past an opportunity to make a difference and I would describe myself as someone who is passionate about creating positive change for our younger generations. An area I am particularly passionate about is creating subtle positive change within…

Ellie Salmon

I grew up in Geelong, Victoria and attended an all-girls school. The career paths presented to me were healthcare, teaching or law. I moved to Melbourne to study Physio, graduated and worked for a year before deciding to head overseas. I worked at a summer camp in the uS, then spent a few months travelling.…

Jessie Nott

I completed high school in 2012 and continued to work for my gap year. I didn’t know what I wanted to do; I only knew that I did not want to go to university. I saved all my money in my gap year which funded a working holiday to Canada for the following 12 months.…

Chloe Swiney

All through high school I wanted to be a lawyer but then, when I graduated, I wasn’t so sure. Instead, one week after graduation, I started working full-time in a plumbing shop as a Customer Service/Admin Officer. In school, I watched my Dad who had been involved in Auxiliary Firefighting and I thought that was…