Beyond Spreadsheets: Finding My Future at Girls in Business Camp
Published on the 26 October 2026 by UNSW Business School EDI Team
What happens when you step into the world of business, meet women shaping its future and get the chance to see where you might fit?
You discover that business is about more than spreadsheets and strategy. It’s a world built on human connection, fresh ideas and the confidence to imagine a future for yourself.
The 2026 UNSW Girls in Business Camp gives female high school students in Years 10 – 12 the chance to explore where a future in business might lead through sessions across a range of business disciplines, industry visits and a team case competition.
For Year 11 student Saanvi Puvvada, those four days brought new connections, fresh perspectives and a clearer sense of what a future in business could look like. One school term on, Saanvi looks back on the moments that stayed with her and shares why she thinks other students should give the camp a go.
Business. It's a word that to me signifies the future, my future. At the 2026 Girls in Business Camp it became a word that signifies ability, inspiration and a very real future for all young women.
Going into the camp, I knew I was interested in business, but because the field is so vast I wasn't sure what I wanted to do or how to get there. Artificial Intelligence played no role in easing my worries, with fears of automation taking over jobs and redundant human skills. When my friends mentioned they were signing up for this four-day business camp at UNSW Business School, I took a chance.
Looking back at Day 1 of the camp it feels like eons ago. Everyone was buzzing with excitement as soon as we signed in and clipped on our name badges, we wasted no time in comparing badges and realising we had all been put in various groups for our site visits (locations still unknown to us).
There was also a quiet, nervous energy as we all looked around at the girls that would be joining us for the next four days. Besides our industry groups, checking in also allowed us to know our table numbers, where we met our teams for the annual Case Competition. That table became a sort of home base for the remainder of the camp, where I got to meet an incredible group of girls from various year levels all around NSW (a few of whom I still remain in touch with today).
After a warm welcome on Day 1, engaging Q&A's and informative sessions, and hearing about our CAANZ Live Industry Case Challenge for the week, we jumped straight into workshops designed to look at the challenge from every angle – and not starting with a solution first.
On day 2 we were split into our specific discipline groups where we got to explore 2 different academic disciplines within Business: Banking & Finance, Economics, Information Systems & Technology Management, Risk and Actuarial Studies, and Accounting, Auditing & Taxation.
I was in the Accounting, Auditing & Taxation and the Banking & Finance group. Within these two sessions I was able to meet industry professionals that cleared up a lot of misconceptions I had, especially regarding AI. Contrary to my belief, I found out that ultimately AI can't replace innate human skills but rather elevate us and our ability to do our work to an even better standard.
One fond memory was from our Banking & Finance session where we had to help our client pay back his credit card debt by cutting down on everything until he was living on the bare minimum (a game that taught me that subscription-based platforms are definitely dearer to me than a trip via credit card debt).
Then came the most awaited and memorable part of the camp, our industry visits. Let's just say after that day, I knew exactly where I wanted to work in the future. I was lucky enough to visit Deloitte and NAB for the day and meet the extremely capable, and inspirational women who have carved out their places in these major corporations.
Seeing how open and welcoming everyone was I created a LinkedIn profile in a record time of 5 minutes, determined not to leave without connecting with all these amazing people! At Deloitte we had the opportunity to take part in a mini case study where, with the help of mentors, we immersed ourselves in the Deloitte recruitment process and helped a small business solve their problem.
We did this by identifying the root problem, our client's needs and limits and then the best solution for their business (a process that is surprisingly very usable in real life when confronted with problem-solving scenarios). We also got to have a delicious morning tea with stunning views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Afterwards at NAB we had an opportunity to engage in a Q&A session with young employees, many of whom were still in university studying business, about the impacts of AI on their lives. We got to leave that day with fresh insights, valuable professional connections and plenty of great merchandise!
By this point, we had reached the final stretches of the camp. Armed with our newfound knowledge and connections, we all tackled the CAANZ Case Competition with renewed vigour. Although my team did not make it past the preliminary round, I noticed something heartwarming; over those three short days, I had made so many friends that nearly every finalist group included someone I knew!
My only 'complaint' was that it made voting for a favourite nearly impossible! The ideas presented were so fresh and innovative, it truly warmed my heart knowing that these bright, talented, young women would be my future university peers, friends and colleagues.
That last day of the camp was a testament to the knowledge and relationships we had culminated over the past four days. (We even got to end the experience by participating in a video interview, where my friend had to record her part 3 times just to battle the wind).
Business. It's more than just spreadsheets, corporate offices and strategy. It is a cornerstone through which society runs. At its core business is based on relationship building, empathy and human connection, skills AI could never automate or take over.
The Girls in Business Camp didn't just teach me about business, it showed me what it truly was at its core and allowed me to meet like-minded girls and future peers as well as have some of the most enjoyable four days ever.
For any high school student considering applying to the camp, as Nike once said 'Just do it'.
Don't overthink it, even if you don't have anyone you know going, trust me you won't be the only one, and it doesn't matter whether or not you think you'd be good at business, you should just have a go at it. You'll end up walking away with not just a clearer vision of your future but confidence and connections that'll last forever.