Someone once asked me if I was trying to break into a 'man’s world' when I said I was
going to study an engineering subject as a Master’s degree.
Actually it was quite easy to ignore him because it was someone who didn't really know much
about science, and it was something I really wanted to do so I didn't let it put me off
and just carried on.
I don’t think there was time when I ever
thought I'd do anything else.
Just working outdoors, travelling internationally to exotic places, I pretty quickly fell in
love with volcanology specifically.
Well I kept finding myself ask the question 'how do those weather people know the weather
is going to do that?'
So I turned a career into finding out how those weather people knew what the weather
was going to do!
When I was 12 years old the movie Twister came out and I saw it three times at the movies
and I was like, wow there’s a whole world of weather out there and I could actually
have a career in science and weather, and I said to my mum 'that's it, I'm going to
be a meteorologist'.
When we used to have family gatherings it was really traditional, so after dinner all
the women went into the kitchen and they started doing the dishes and preparing dessert,
but I used to stay at the table with the men because I was so awestruck by the stories that
they used to tell about their workplaces and their experiences, so I grew up wanting to
be just like my grandfather and my uncles and my dad as well—my dad he’s a farmer
so that’s where I got my interest in weather and climate.
I was just passing at the start of high school and then I think somewhere around year 9 or
10 I did really well on a physics test in science and I thought, hey this is a nice
feeling, and that really encouraged me to keep going and I really enjoyed it and that’s
probably why I’m here today, it’s just having a good teacher who was really encouraging
and just liking the subject.
It’s often a key individual who’ll just light the spark that takes you to next level.
I wasn't actually naturally gifted at maths and physics which I needed to be able to do to get
into the Bureau.
And all through high school I really struggled, and there weren’t many other girls in my
class that I could talk about it with, so luckily I had my mum who was a really big
supporter of me and also my teachers which really helped me get through and get the marks
I needed to get into the Bureau.
More recently there are a lot more women getting involved in geology, especially volcanology.
I definitely had female mentors and coaches when I was back at university which really
helped me see what the pathways could be for a female studying volcanology.
If I could tell my 13 year old self something today, it would be to make sure that you keep working
hard, because even though things can be a little bit challenging sometimes, hard work
really can help you get to where you want to be in your career.
Have more confidence in your ability.
When I was in my teenage years and my early 20s I had a lot of self-doubt and it held me back
in some ways, there were opportunities which I didn’t take which in retrospect I probably
should have.
Don’t compare yourself so much to other people, because there will always be people
who are better than you or worse than you, and it’s just about maximising your own
potential.
So as long as you do the best you can in everything, then that’s all anyone can ask for really.
If you don’t believe in yourself no one else will—if you let those chinks show
other people will fill them up.
A strong female is one who goes out there and aspires in her career, aspires in having
opinions and a great attitude to life.
To give it a crack—because you never know, this could end up being your dream job one day.