I started at Clonard in Year 7 in 2001 and graduated in Year 12 in 2006 and have such fond memories of my time there. I was fortunate to be part of a year level full of kind and supportive girls. While we all had our own friendship groups, there was a lovely sense of unity across the year — everyone got along and looked out for one another.

I genuinely enjoyed school and learning. Two teachers who really stood out to me were Ms Tolan, who taught Chemistry, and Mrs Curran, who taught Maths Methods. Their passion for their subjects was inspiring, and their influence, definitely helped shape the path I chose after school.

When I finished Year 12, I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do. I’d been working part-time at an accounting firm during school and thought Commerce might be the right direction. After a year at university, I realised it wasn’t for me. I thought back to the subjects I’d loved at Clonard — Chemistry and Maths — and decided to change universities and enrol in a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering, which I completed in 2011.

Going from an all-girls school into a male-dominated engineering degree was a big change, but it helped me grow in confidence and taught me how to challenge stereotypes early in my career.

I started out as a Graduate Process Engineer in consultancy, designing and improving water treatment plants, refineries, and other industrial operations. Later, I moved into site-based work with a petrochemical company and became one of the first female operators in that role. That experience was incredibly empowering and reminded me that you can achieve anything with the right mindset.

Since then, I’ve held a range of roles — from running fuel terminal operations to working in the Safety space. I now lead a national team focused on Personal Safety, Process Safety, Environment, Learning & Development, and Emergency Management within the downstream petroleum sector — the space between the refinery and the service stations we all visit to fuel our cars.

Among everything I’ve done, my proudest achievement is being a wife and a mum to two amazing children, now aged 7 and 4, who continue to inspire me every day.

If I could give my younger self — or any young woman reading this — one piece of advice, it would be: back yourself and give things a go. The worst that can happen is you discover something’s not quite right for you, and you pivot. That’s okay! Surround yourself with people who support and encourage you, and who’ll lift you up when you need it. And don’t be afraid of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Maths). These careers offer incredible opportunities and give you skills that can take you just about anywhere.