Hearing from women who have been there, and done that has lit a fire within students across the Griffith region.
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Natalie Jefferson and Selina Gambacorta have come away crowned for their achievements in STEM at Murrumbidgee Regional High School at the Women in STEM inspiration day on Tuesday.
Held at the Griffith Regional Theatre, the girls joined many others in hearing from successful women in the field and their achievements, successes and hardships.
"We learnt there are many, many different ways to enter a STEM industry," Natalie explained.
"I found it so interesting - especially because I want to be a veterinarian... I think its just interesting you can actually do to become that.
"There are hundreds and thousands of different ways you can go about science - I wouldn't have known how diverse it was until today."
One of the things I tell the kids - is that the best skill you can master is failure.
- Peggy Mangovski
Natalie thought it was interesting thinking about women in the industry, because her classes are more women-dominated, especially in biology and chemistry classes.
For Selina however, she is the only girl in her classes.
"There was lots of good, practical advice and knowledge shared," Selina said.
With her eyes set on a career in IT, or medicine, she says she doesn't mind if more men were interested in the area, she sees it as learning about IT "vital for the future."
One of the speakers was Peggy Mangovski, diversity leader for the entire SISP program, and it's clear to see how her passion could be infectious.
As an educator, she works towards bridging the gap for young woman in STEM and improving equal learning opportunities for minority students.
Her specialties include robotics, computer science, computer programming, design thinking and STEM/STEAM learning. Prior to teaching, she was a successful IT business owner.
"For me, growing up in a country town, science and engineering wasn't something girls did.
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Living and learning with dyslexia was tough, but I loved pulling things apart and putting them back together, and just loved science in general.
"One of the things I tell the kids - is that the best skill you can master is failure. Pick yourself back up, find a solution, and for us girls, put the crown back on and do what you have to do."
She will fight for diversity, not just in gender, but also with learning abilities, regional areas, and more.
"Having diverse minds working together means you have diverse experiences and ways of thinking."
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