ME Program Ambassador

Charlotte Weatherall

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Name: Charlotte Weatherall
Age: 22
School: Maitland Grossman High School, 2012

University: University of Wollongong (2014) and the Australian Defence Force Academy 2016-2019

RDA Hunter’s ME Program : How were you involved?

Involved during year 11 and 12 MGHS, participated in the UoW Engineering Report Competition.

What Subjects did you Study for the HSC?

English, Mathematics, Physics, Senior Science, Engineering and PDHPE

What University Course are you Studying?

 Bachelor of Electrical Engineering

What are your career goals?

After completing my degree I will begin to qualify as a Weapons Electrical Engineering Officer in the Royal Australian Navy.

What are your interests?

My interests include travel, learning new languages, sport (specifically rowing and AFL), camping and spending time outdoors.

tell us about the last few years …

I attended a number of primary and secondary schools, completing year 12 at Maitland Grossman High School where I took engineering as a subject (one I had not heard of being available at school before). I enjoyed physics and engineering the most out of my school subjects as they were relatable, involved a practical element and enabled me to use a variety of skills learnt in other classes, for example mathematics.

Since graduating high school in 2012 I spent 2013 living in Madrid, Spain completing the Rotary Youth Exchange Program. This was an amazing opportunity to travel, learn a new language, new customs and make some life-long international friendships.

Upon returning to Australia in 2014 I accepted my offer at UoW to study Electrical Engineering while applying for a position in the Defence Force. During this year I was fortunate enough to work with the UoW STEM team and travel to schools all over NSW inspiring students to look towards a career in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. This was an incredible opportunity to apply my engineering knowledge and pass on to students my experiences with the ME program. I was also a marker for the UoW Engineering in Schools report competition after being an awardee in 2012.

In 2015 I enlisted in the Royal Australian Navy and completed my New Entry Officer’s Course. After this I was posted to HMAS Penguin in Sydney to a number of shore establishments to learn about engineering capability, design and management within the Navy. Later in the year I was posted to HMAS Anzac for hands on experience alongside and at sea in the Electrical Engineering Department, where I aspire to be working again post the completion of my degree.

I am currently studying at the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) in Canberra and completing military and leadership training along with my degree. I will graduate from here in 2019 and continue my career out in the fleet.

Did involvement in the ME Program impact your HSC subject choices?

Yes, I wasn’t involved with ME before year 11 but being exposed to the wide range of career opportunities that would be available to me in engineering made me make the decision to change from chemistry to physics in year 11, enabling me to be better prepared for the degree I would choose at university.

Did involvement in the ME Program impact your University and career choices?

Yes, attending a number of ME presentations and guest speaker events opened my eyes to the number of different career opportunities available to me. This got me looking at what I would like to do after school and what to possibly pursue a career in.

General comments about the ME Program

I believe the ME program provides the extra support and information to high school students at an important decision making stage during school. It provides insight into areas of engineering, science and technology that you would never know existed and helps in developing or strengthening an interest in a career involving many of the skills student have learnt in school.