Welcome to Our Q3 Newsletter!
Women in Engineering - Sydney
Official page of the WiE Sydney Committee.
Edited by Sharanya Sooriyakumaran and Deirdre O'Neill
Produced by the EA Sydney Women in Engineering Committee - Publications Division
Newsletter graphic design and illustrations ? Sharanya Sooriyakumaran 2024
As we near the end of 2024, we're eager to share a blend of inspiration and innovation. Our Chair, Ghizlane Chergaoui , recounts her journey from school to her current role, showcasing growth and resilience. With the recent Olympics, we focus on venue design, chatting with engineers ( Jane Nixon , Jane Joubert & Mike King ) who are shaping the stadiums for unforgettable moments. They’ll share their insights and passion for creating dynamic spaces. Finally, don’t miss our spotlight on student scholars Joanne Zreika and Rayna Lamack , who reflect on their key lessons from the past year. Join us in celebrating the achievements and creativity of our community!
Building Success: Ghizlane Chergaoui's Journey in Engineering
Written by Ghizlane Chergaoui
Edited by Deirdre O'Neill
At the Winter Gala, our Chair Ghizlane Chergaoui - Principal Transport Engineer at AECOM, inspired by the theme Enhanced by? Engineering, gave a speech about her story, how she came to be an engineer and her key lessons learnt over the years. In this article we turn her speech into an inspirational story to share with our readers who may have missed this on the night.
Ghizlane grew up in Morocco, the middle child of five children, and as a result very competitive, independent and with strong social skills. She was always interested in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and always knew she wanted to pursue a career in this field.? Fortunately her? parents encouraged her and so whenever people asked her what she wanted to be, she always said “I don’t know… a doctor? an engineer?”.
In middle school, Ghizlane discovered she had scoliosis – a sideways curvature of the spine which affects about 2-3% of the population, and disproportionately impacts girls over boys. She had to wear a brace throughout middle and high school. Not only was it tough socially, it also meant that she could not play sports or be active. So, instead she started exercising another muscle, her brain. Over time, school started to come easily to her, and at the end of high school she graduated top of her school and second in all of Morocco. When she finished high school, she thought she had it all figured out – she knew everything and there was nothing stopping her. Right? Wrong!
After high school, she moved to Marrakech and started medical school. However, just one semester in and she was failing spectacularly. What was happening? Although she didn’t know it at the time, she was learning her first big life lesson , “failure happens, but it will be ok”. So, there she was, 6 months into “adult life”, confused but motivated. She knew that she needed to do something and fast. She quickly realised that medicine was not for her and reverted back to her original choice – engineering. She moved to Brisbane to study civil engineering at The University of Queensland. This was a new and exciting step, despite moving far away from family and friends. It was hard, challenging and stressful but when she thinks back now, she realises that it was probably some of the best years of her life.? She did well, getting honours and the Dean’s commendation for academic excellence.
"..failure happens, but it will be ok"
The next step was to find a job – and if anyone who is a migrant in Australia will know just how hard that can be, despite good grades. A few months and many applications later, she got her first job through a friend at a small consultancy. She stayed there for a year before moving to AECOM. At the time she thought her move was motivated by wanting to work on larger, multi-disciplinary projects, however,? later she realised that it was really motivated by wanting to do something meaningful and having an impact on communities and the world.
During Ghizlane’s first year at AECOM, she attended her first Sydney Women in Engineering committee AGM and with the encouragement of a colleague she joined. ?It combined her two passions – engineering and advocacy for women. In this work, she advocated for women in engineering, organised events, and supported other women. It also taught her how to come out of her shell and learn new skills like networking and the confidence to present in front of a packed Gala Dinner!?
In parallel to her volunteer work Ghizlane focused on building her career.? She worked hard to grow her skills and prove herself, but at the same time she knew it was important to build a network of supporters, mentors and advocates. She built a village to support and teach her, advocate for her and give her a chance when no else one would.
and here are a some valuable lessons Ghizlane shared on the night...
Behind the Scenes: The Engineering behind Olympic Venues
Edited and transcribed by Deirdre O'Neill
While the focus of the recent Olympics were Australia’s? athletic prowess and medal tally - let's not forget the stunning stadiums and arenas in the background crafted by visionary engineers! We caught up with three talented engineers (Jane Joubert - Aurecon, Jane Nixon - Arup and Mike King - Mott Macdonald) who shared their insights into venue design and reflected on their most memorable projects, revealing the creativity and innovation that make these spaces truly extraordinary
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Scholars in the Spotlight
Content by Rayna Lamack and Joanne Zreika
Edited by Sharanya Sooriyakumaran
Our 2024 student scholars - Rayna Lamack and Joanne Zreika, have gained valuable insights from their time on the WIE committee. We asked them to share what they learned this year and their favourite aspects of being part of the committee.
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