Scholarship Recipient & Student Engineer, Sydney

What started out as work experience and a way of learning more about engineering, turned into a Dream Big Scholarship and a real passion for engineering. This is Kirsty’s Dream Big story.

“My family and I wanted to make sure engineering was the right path for me, so I undertook work experience in Brown Consulting’s Sydney office to help me learn more about the industry,” Kirsty explained.

“I was really enjoying the work and working at Brown when Toby Tames (NSW Director) said he liked the progress I was making. He then told me about the company’s Dream Big Scholarship Program, which was about encouraging young women to join the engineering profession. I’m glad to say that I was successful in gaining a scholarship and haven’t looked back since,” she said.

As a second year student studying a Bachelor of Civil Engineering and Diploma in Engineering Practice at UTS, Kirsty’s schedule is pretty hectic. Brown understands the pressures of university life and offers all scholarship recipients paid work experience at times that work around university schedules.

“I have learned so much during my work placements. Everyone at Brown is very approachable and happy to share their extensive experience and knowledge. I’ve also been able to connect with the industry and understand how my subjects apply to the day to day work of an engineer,” said Kirsty.

“I would definitely recommend Brown Consulting and the Dream Big Scholarship. While at high school I’d read about the engineering sector wanting more women to take up engineering, but Brown is actually doing something about it.”

“For any young woman considering a career in engineering I would say if you’re passionate about engineering then go for it. Don’t be intimidated about being in a male dominated industry. The opportunities are always increasing as firms like Brown try to change the face of engineering,” she said.