Meet Joanne Zreika, Engineering and University Student Ambassador
"It’s been such an incredible experience to meet people who I never would’ve crossed paths with otherwise"
"It’s been such an incredible experience to meet people who I never would’ve crossed paths with otherwise"
After high school, it was a no-brainer to continue within the STEM field as I’ve always naturally gravitated towards maths and the sciences in my studies. Engineering initially stood out to me for being a highly practical field and, especially for mechanical engineering, projects can be very ‘hands-on’. Now, I’ve discovered a new passion for the field and it’s that as an engineer, in any specialisation, you gain incredible insight into how the world works. Almost everything we use on a daily basis was, once upon a time, developed by an engineer and to me, that’s the coolest fact of all.
There are so many options available to an engineering graduate! Through student projects and research experiences I’ve gotten a small taste of the different pathways available. From these, I know that I want to be based in medical devices and work on projects that positively impact the healthcare system and products within it. I hope that in my remaining year of university, I create a better understanding of what I want my first experience after graduation to be.
If you have any interest at all in helping people, giving back to society or knowing more about how everything around you works, then you’re in the right place! The world will always be in need of young, brilliant minds to continue progressing forward and driving change. As an engineer you will be at the forefront of this.
I’ve been a university ambassador since the end of my first year, so it’s made up a significant portion of my student experience. It’s been such an incredible experience to meet people who I never would’ve crossed paths with otherwise, from our program managers and faculty staff at UNSW to students and educators at high schools across the state. I’ve also built strong friendships with other ambassadors studying in completely different fields so we probably wouldn’t have met outside of this program. Being an ambassador has also diversified my skillset and strengthened my interpersonal skills which I’ve seen positively translate into my engineering work!
The average person can probably explain what a career in medicine or law looks like but can be expected to struggle with defining what engineering is. This is how I know that despite the effort in the last decade at increasing engineering outreach, a lot more work needs to be done. I believe that cultivating a deeper understanding of engineering in society can be achieved by simply allowing engineers to speak more about their work. By increasing media, community and digital presence, engineering can become more appreciated. This will also allow all young people, especially young women, to become more comfortable considering engineering as a career option.
In terms of women in engineering, we are starting to see success in attracting women to the field, but challenges are faced in sustaining and retaining them. I think that the new generation of engineers will strive to create an industry with more flexible and adaptable working arrangements, a trend that is currently rising. For example, a major point of discussion amongst women engineers is that the field lacks support for engineers who take career breaks to focus on other life responsibilities. Introducing support for such decisions will greatly impact the future of engineering and the attraction of young talent into it. Another challenge rises from how engineering is intertwined with technology. I believe that engineers currently, and in the near future, are challenged with implementing innovative and dynamic technologies such as AI to make their work more efficient, streamlined and accurate.
It would have to be my involvement in the Mending Broken Hearts student project. Being part of the inaugural team itself was an exciting experience and opened so many doors to me both within engineering and outside of it. Seeing how the project has progressed since then and the current team’s performance at the International Heart Hackathon is incredibly heartwarming. Having current team members reach out to me to ask about certain approaches and decisions my team originally made also allows me to stay in touch with the project and provide assistance wherever I can. A small Mending Broken Hearts community has been established since the project launched almost 3 years ago and being a small part of that will definitely be a key highlight of my time at UNSW.
As Australia’s best engineering faculty turns 75, there are just as many reasons why we’ve earned that title. Discover new stories weekly, celebrating the successes that have enabled progress for all.