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…
Over the past decade and across three continents, I have been fortunate enough to work in and around my two greatest passions: Marine Science (specialising in anthropogenic impacts and shark science) and STEM education. I hold a Bachelor’s (Hons) and Master’s degree in Marine Science from North Wales University Bangor (UK) and a Master’s Degree…
I have always wanted to study science. I thought this was field science, but I discovered I like telling stories (with data) and helping teams learn new ways of doing things (with technology), especially working with other disciplines (collaboration). I studied a lot of field geography and ecology at university, however when I did my…
I grew up on the Tweed Coast and had planned to be a physiotherapist / exercise physiologist or a PE teacher after my undergraduate and post-graduate studies. I had commenced my career as an exercise physiologist, specialising in musculoskeletal injuries and occupational rehabilitation management. Unfortunately, I was diagnosed with a chronic illness in mid-2014 (end…
When I was in high school I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I liked maths and economics. An engineering student came to my school and told us about engineering. I thought civil engineering sounded cool and, without any other ideas on what I wanted to do, I decided to choose that for university,…
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…
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…
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,…
When I was in my last year of high school, I didn’t know what I wanted to do at university or for the rest of my life. All I knew was that I enjoyed learning and more specifically I loved learning about Science and Mathematics. I had no idea that you could study both quite…
I had no idea what I wanted to do after school, I just knew what subjects I liked to do and that my dad wanted me to get a good ATAR. School was super stressful, and I didn’t get the score I wanted (but that’s ok) and I ended up applying to study Chemical Engineering…
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…
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…
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…
I wanted to do something in the medical field when I left school. It wasn’t until my Dad started to read the job descriptions rather than the course titles that my interest was sparked in engineering. I ended up changing all of my preferences and haven’t looked back since! I started at Boeing Aerostructures Australia…
After leaving school with a vague ambition to work with people, I began a Bachelor of Arts but found it too broad. Transitioning to a more specialised Bachelor of Behavioural Science, I found my passion in organizational psychology and social science research. While at uni, I saw a casual “Research Assistant” role advertised in market…
I am a Senior Mechanical Engineer with Aurecon for almost 3 years. I did not think this was where I would end up when I left school and decided to study Mechatronics Engineering. The passion for building and creating something to help others has been with me since I was young and has taken me…
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.…
When I was little, I did not know what I wanted to become, my parents made me study sciences to make sure I had options. I loved animals and wanted to become a zoologist, however whilst studying chemical engineering I witnessed the explosion of a Chemical Factory in the South-West of France, and decided to…
As an average student in Year 10 I hated Maths, Economics, Physics etc (anything with numbers) but coped well with other Science subjects like Biology and Chemistry. My dad was an agricultural scientist and I visited his University. I liked the campus and decided to take the entrance exam for Agriculture Science. To my surprise,…
I have always loved nature and wildlife and studied environmental management with the thought of becoming a park ranger. During uni I volunteered with national parks, but my graduate position was as an Environmental Officer in compliance (pollution and land clearing) with local government. I found I really enjoyed interpreting legislation and compliance and took…