I grew up in the UK and always had a passion for geography, which led me to study Environment and Business at university – a degree combining sustainability and business principles. During my studies, I completed a year in industry at Network Rail, the UK’s largest rail infrastructure company, as an Environmental and Sustainable Development…
I left school intending on becoming a lawyer. However, found I didn’t enjoy studying at University, and sought counsel in my high school Legal Studies teacher, who advised me to try policing. I applied for the QPS and started at the academy at 20-years-old. Graduating September 2013, I began my career in Ipswich District. I…
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…
I often say I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up – and honestly, do we ever really know? I once wanted to be a fashion designer but instead chose the broadest degree I could think of to build a strong foundation. I believe it’s my attitude, willingness to learn, and…
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…
Not knowing where my application with the Queensland Fire Brigade would lead at 18, I took on a trade assistant role with a residential and commercial roofing company. After a year and a half, I moved to a residential construction company, where I discovered a deep passion for building and the industry as a whole.…
When I was in school, I enjoyed maths and science and being outdoors. The thought of being in an office all day wasn’t very inspiring to me! My dad works in oil and gas and suggested that I should do engineering, particularly environmental engineering, so I could have a job that pays well, a job…
When I was in high school, I had no idea what I wanted to do, but I had always found maths and science came most naturally to me and were the most interesting subjects. My grandfather, father, and uncle had all worked as blue-collar construction workers when I was growing up, so I had some…
I grew up wanting to be a Cardiologist in high school, however, when it got time to actually applying for universities, I applied for a Bachelor of International Relations at the Australian National University. After one semester, I had already made the decision I did not want to spend my whole life arguing politics, and…
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…
Having migrated from Sri Lanka, I completed my last two years of high school in Australia before attending university to complete my Bachelor of Civil Engineering. I started my construction career as a graduate engineer on a major highway project. Here I was exposed to bulk earthworks, concrete batch plant operations, and concrete pavement construction.…
When I was in school, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I knew that I wanted to take a gap year after school and not go to university straight away. During that year I worked at Bunnings and began by working on the cash register. After 5 years with Bunnings, I decided to…
Leading up to the end of high school, I struggled to pick a career I wanted to study for, torn between my ‘competing’ interests in graphics, legal studies, and physics. My first part-time job as a jewellery sales assistant also sparked my passion for problem-solving, customer communication, and people management. When it came time for…
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,…
After high school, I enrolled in university with an interest in fashion and marketing, though I wasn’t certain about my career direction. Initially considering a gap year, I chose to start university to broaden my horizons and meet new people. During my studies, I spent a lot of time traveling. It was in my final…
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…
All through school, I was known as the sporty kid, I won age champion every year and just loved being active. I always knew I wanted to do something sport or exercise related when I finished school, but I had no idea exactly what that would be. I went to university and studied a Bachelor…
I was born in Poland and moved to a small country town in Qld when I was 4 before trialing island life in PNG at the age of 12. I loved these cultural experiences and it gave me a broad perspective when I moved to Perth half way through year 9. When I left school…
Coming out of high school, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. So I enrolled in a bachelor of commerce, majoring in actuarial studies. Later in university, I discovered a passion for econometrics—the use of statistics and data to understand and predict economic trends. I went on to complete honours and a master’s in…
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…