Steph was inspired to become a doctor after being ill as a child.
“From a young age, I decided that I wanted to be a doctor when I was older, and the only pathway I could think of was to go through science,” says Steph.
But growing up in Shepparton in rural Victoria, the journey wasn’t easy. “I am from a rural area, and Indigenous and a woman; there was a lot of things in my way,” says Steph. “I guess just growing up I didn’t know many people who had taken that journey to university. So it was hard to think of that as a pathway for me.”
A visit from the RISE (Residential Indigenous Science Experience) mentoring program in high school helped to kick-start her love of mentoring. Steph has since become a mentor with RISE and the Victorian Indigenous Engineering Winter School (VIEWS) and is currently working in the In2Science program.
Despite having her heart set on medicine, Steph is also keen to explore how to incorporate Indigenous knowledge into science communication and conservation. “Last year, I got to work with Science Gallery on a workshop that was focused on sustainability, engineering and design, but most importantly thinking about the environment with an Indigenous mindset,” she says.
“That unlocked a passion I didn’t know I had for environmental studies. I learnt a lot about the environment from an Indigenous perspective caring for country and then from a more western perspective. Bringing the two pieces of knowledge together has been really exciting.”
For Steph, trying to explain what Reconciliation means is a hard question to answer. “For me and my experience, doing this thing with Science Gallery and working with a lot of Indigenous people who are in these types of positions where I could only dream of - that could be my future. I think it’s really important to enable Indigenous people when it comes to science, education or any type of knowledge. I feel like a lot of people don’t really get the chance to have a voice.”
Stephanie was a recipient of the 2020 Agilent Indigenous STEM Leadership Award. The Award recognises demonstrated leadership in STEM focussed initiatives by Indigenous students. The award is supported by Agilent Technologies Foundation (USA) as part of a broader program of opportunities aimed at increasing the pool of talented young Indigenous Australians who are capable of becoming future leaders in STEM.