Once again our students had the opportunity to hear an array of inspiring young women talk about their education, experiences and careers - so far.

Of course, the highlight for us was hearing ex-girl Hanri de Bruin who recently graduated from Otago Polytechnic with a Bachelor of Engineering Technology - Electrical. On her way to graduation, Hanri travelled to Austria to take part in an international Women in STEM conference, and as part of her study, she helped to develop a functioning prosthetic limb for a young man. Hanri’s objective is to begin developing bionic prosthetics that are affordable.

We also heard from Christina Bellis - CEO of Thankyou Payroll, Alice Marsh - founder of The Social Experiment and other social enterprise sites, Siobhan Russell - a graduate of the KiwiRail Graduate Programme, and Deborah Williams - a Senior Firefighter in Dunedin.

Each of the women shared their insights from their work, study and life so far. Recurring messages were around the need to be open to change, to pay attention to your values and be guided by them, to seek experiences and be alert to the learning available from them, and that often you need to do things you don’t want to do, in order to get to do what you do want to do. The need for self-reflection was mentioned frequently, along with encouragement to be guided by your own, rather than other people’s expectations.

We were reminded that much of the workforce is made up of jobs we don’t even know about - so we need to be open and alert to discover them. A recurring message was around the value of volunteering, and all you can learn about yourself and the world from these experiences. Many of the speakers were driven by a desire to better the world in some way, and the value of social enterprise was evident.

Thank you again to the Dunedin branch of the National Council of Women for a truly inspiring experience, and to the Otago Polytechnic Manaaki Restaurant for providing our lovely breakfast. This was the fifth year the NCW had organised this event, and we look forward to joining it again next year. Students in Years 11 - 13 are invited to attend each year.