When did your love of STEM begin?

I was in Grade 9 and I remember because it was when I was living in New Zealand for the year. I was talking to my Aunt Dot about what I liked, and I've always loved math and science, and she said, “why don't you do engineering. I said “oh, what's that?” She said that you would use math every day, you apply it, and it's not theoretical like actual science jobs would be. It's very hands-on, process-based, real world, which sounds really cool.

What did you love most about study in your field of STEM?

I love science and math just because it's very methodical and it's not like the answer is either right or wrong. There is no question about whether you got the answer right. For example if I write an essay, it's up to someone's judgment whether they like that essay or not but if I'm doing an exam in Science or Math, I either got it right or wrong and I can study for it enough. I really like how it's just very like methodical and like there's a process to it and it's not someone's judgment about what you did.

What advice would you give to young women considering a career in STEM?

University is hard! With your education, there are a lot more courses than [high school] , but regardless of that, if you work really hard and study really hard you can definitely do well in that area. I would definitely say working hard is important, but also it just gives you the skills of a teacher to work hard in those jobs. Even though STEM is a harder course load than other courses would be, I think it's totally worth it.