The next generation of women in STEM
From left to right, Kuer Duot and Yeukai Deshe.
The next generation of female engineers have graduated from Western Sydney University with big goals for the future.
Amongst the latest graduates are Kuer Duot and Yeukai Deshe, who both completed a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Civil Engineering).
Kuer and Yeukai studied at the University’s Kingswood campus and have their own unique stories but ultimately share the same goal – wanting to make a difference in people’s lives, while motivating the next generation of female engineers.
Yeukai discovered her passion for building and problem solving when she would play with Lego as a child.
“When I was little, I loved helping my dad put things together around the house, I loved playing with Lego, doing cross words and word searches. These things pushed my mindset into wanting to know how things work together,” said Yeukai.
These activities motivated her to find out more about how structures, buildings and bridges turn from a concept into real life.
“I also had a passion for helping people and knowing the work I do is going to make someone else’s life easier. After putting two and two together I fell upon civil engineering.”
Kuer decided to pursue engineering after moving to Australia from Kenya, having completed just one year of high school, she had ambitions to continue her education journey.
She was inspired by her parents, who despite having no formal education themselves, were extremely supportive of Kuer pursuing her passions and taking up the opportunity to be the first person in her family to study at university.
“There were times when I wanted to give up but the fire in me and the people who saw something in me pushed me beyond my limits.”
Kuer is now working as a Site Engineer for civil engineering company, Trazlbat, with a goal of one day returning to her home country of South Sudan to work as a Water Engineer.
“My home country is a developing nation, and it is crucial to me that I utilise the skills I have acquired via my education and work experience back home,” said Kuer.
“My objective is to provide citizens with clean and safe water.”
Both Kuer and Yeukai are the future of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and want to encourage other young girls to consider STEM-related fields.
Yeukai’s advice to other women considering a career in STEM is to ‘just give it a go’.
“Ignore any stigma that says you can’t have a career in the field and know that there are other women out there willing to support you. Women are strong, skilled, smart and they deserve to be seen and heard,” she says.
“I think it’s important for women to be represented in STEM because it gives them a voice, it gives them hope and it allows them to see that there are so many opportunities and career paths you can pursue.”
Kuer also recommends that any women interested in studying STEM find a mentor, network, ask questions and apply themselves to their studies.
“The skills and knowledge gained from studying STEM courses can be applied to many different areas. Problem solving, critical thinking, and analytical skills are applicable to any profession or area of study,” said Kuer.
Western Sydney University offers a range of programs to encourage female participation in STEM based learning including on-campus experiences, scholarships and the WiSE (Women in STEM Education) program (opens in a new window).
WiSE aims to reshape the STEM workforce through a range of activities and initiatives building empowering networks of identifying women who are enrolled at Western Sydney University through employer visits, mentoring and access to resources.
The University has been named number one in the world for its social, economic and environmental impact in the prestigious 2023 Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings for the second time in a row, including 1st in the world for SDG 5 Gender Equality,
ENDS
28 August 2023
Lauren Austin, Senior Media Officer
Photo credit: Sally Tsoutas
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