The School of Minerals and Energy Resources Engineering is proud to congratulate Ghaida Ahmed W Aljuhani on winning the University Medal in 2021. Ghaida is a recent Graduate who studied a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Petroleum). The University Medal is bestowed upon graduands with an outstanding academic performance across their entire undergraduate career and is one of the most distinguished awards to be bestowed on an undergraduate. Ghaida has been a continuous high performer and has received this medal from the University Medal Committee. 

Ghaida has always had an interest in engineering ever since she was a little girl. Having been brought up with a diverse cultural upbringing, she grew up in many countries such as the United Kingdom, France, South Korea, and Spain. This in turn has exposed her to see the world through an open-minded lens and explore all her passions in full detail. As Ghaida is Saudi Arabian, she wanted to be an integral part of her country’s economic growth. This coupled with her passion for STEM subjects made her realize her affinity for engineering at a young age. Now, she is a petroleum engineer both by passion and trade with full support from her loving family who are glad that she followed in their footsteps.  

“Looking back at it, it was as if my life path led me to pursuing my engineering degree at UNSW”. 

Having received a scholarship from Saudi Aramco during her study, Ghaida now has a role at Aramco and will utilize the theoretical and practical knowledge that she has gained from UNSW. She is now part of the budding future of female engineers within petroleum engineering and across the engineering industry. 

We spoke to Ghaida about her time at UNSW Engineering and her advice for future students to get the most out of their university experience. Check out her interview.