Isabella Santos (right) with Karen from Rocket Lab by KingsWay School

Career Mentoring

Isabella Santos, Year 13, shares about how meeting with Karen Panoedjoe (Alumni 2013) from Rocket Lab has inspired her to choose her career pathway.

Ever since I was a little girl, I have always been curious about how things work. I didn't know for a long time what I wanted to do. I stumbled upon many career choices over the years. Doctor, joining the Air Force, joining the Navy, studying some kind of science, you name it. But as soon as I heard about what Aerospace Engineering was, I knew straight away that this was my dream, and I was not backing out.

A KingsWay Alumni from 2013, Karen Panoedjoe, studied engineering at The University of Auckland and is now currently working at Auckland's Rocket Lab. Rocket Lab is a privately owned American aerospace company, mainly focused on launching satellites. Immediately when I heard about Karen, I knew I needed to get in contact with her. Karen and I met up one night for dinner, and it was such an eye-opener for me. She told me all about her experiences at KingsWay School, The University of Auckland and Rocket Lab.

Karen also told me about WEN (Women In Engineering), an organisation at The University of Auckland. This organisation empowers young teenage girls who are passionate about STEM to understand a bit more about the uni life as a woman engineer. I have had the privilege to attend three of these events so far, and it has been an amazing experience for me. None of this would have been possible without Karen. She is truly phenomenal.

By Isabella Santos (Year 13)