Ever since my time at The Knox School, I have always been drawn to understanding the way things work, asking questions, solving problems, and challenging myself both academically and personally. TKS fostered an environment where I could be myself and not be afraid to put myself out there. Through many opportunities including leadership positions and exciting, engaging classes, I could develop confidence and the ability to collaboratively grow. Since graduating, that mindset has shaped the pathway I have taken into chemical engineering at RMIT University.
Engineering always appealed to me because it combined science, creativity, real-world impact, and the opportunity to apply technical knowledge to challenges that have tangible impacts for communities.
During my time at RMIT, I have been fortunate to become deeply involved in the engineering community. One of my proudest achievements was winning the HERCULES challenge, a multi-disciplinary humanitarian engineering competition that requires teamwork, innovation, and most importantly, working alongside communities to help solve challenges. This experience pushed me outside my comfort zone and showed me how powerful collaborative engineering can really be when people from multiple backgrounds come together and work towards a shared goal. Co-leading this team has taught me so much. Now I get the amazing opportunity to advise and support both my own team and the new teams that come along through this challenge.
Alongside my studies, I also began tutoring within RMIT’s award-winning Introduction to Professional Engineering Practice Program, supporting engineering students as they transition into university and the world of engineering. Teaching others has strengthened my own understanding of engineering whilst allowing me to mentor students as they build confidence in their abilities and learn the power engineers hold.
Most recently, I had the opportunity to complete an internship at the Ernest Henry copper-gold mine with Evolution Mining. Working in the processing concentrator as a metallurgist is an experience that was technically challenging and extremely rewarding. Stepping beyond the classroom and applying the chemical engineering concepts in a real industry setting was both extremely daunting and exciting for me. A major highlight was running a metallurgical project focusing on optimising plant gold recoveries, where I conducted laboratory-scale experiments aimed at generating insights that could be applied to the plant operations.
I had the opportunity to experience plant inspections, scheduled shutdowns, and day-to-day operations, gaining a deeper appreciation for the complexity and collaboration required to operate large-scale processing systems safely and efficiently. Working alongside experienced metallurgists who were willing to share their knowledge and involve me created an incredibly supportive learning environment that strengthened my confidence as a developing engineer.
Looking back, each experience since leaving TKS including study, real-life engineering projects, tutoring, and industry placement, has built upon the foundation I developed during my time at school. I have learned that growth often comes from the opportunities you say yes to, even when they feel challenging or unfamiliar.
My advice to past, current, and future students is to stay curious and be willing to say yes to new things, even if you don’t feel completely ready, because believe me, you never feel ready. Ask questions and learn from the people around you. You don’t need to have everything figured out straight away, and direction often comes from taking a leap at the opportunities in your path.
After I left TKS, I was unsure if chemical engineering was the right degree for me to study. But in the last couple of years, with the opportunities I went headfirst into and accomplished, I can say for sure that chemical engineering is the career for me, and I suggest to anyone who has thought of studying it, like me, to give it a go.
