Full STEM ahead

We know how important it is to encourage young women to pursue careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics), which is why we jumped at the chance to visit all-girls high school, Our Lady of Mercy College Parramatta (OLMC), to talk about women in infrastructure.

Angela Farrell, a Parramatta Light Rail civil engineer and technical director, is a passionate advocate for engineering and is particularly keen to ensure that more female students think of it as a career path. “I often wonder whether we encourage girls from a young age to consider engineering,” she says. “Visibility really matters, so when female engineers like myself visit high schools it shows girls that we exist and it gives them confidence to enter the industry.”

Angela participated in Transport for NSW’s graduate program and rose through the ranks to lead the technical aspects of the Stage 1 project. “I really appreciated the chance to show students that engineering is a great career path for females and that currently there are a lot of exciting projects happening, Parramatta Light Rail being one of them.

“With this project we are not just trying to get people from A to B, there is also a focus on placemaking and achieving community outcomes across the alignment, which makes it challenging but also very rewarding.”

Thank you to OLMC educators, students and parents for giving us the opportunity to share these experiences with the students so they can see what they can be.