Stories

KBR is proud to support the next generation of industry professionals by giving our time, talent, and financial resources. Since 2019, KBR’s team in Australia have partnered with In2science, a non-profit connecting high school students to career pathways in STEM, to provide students with robust mentorship opportunities.

Sisters Charlize and Alannah, attendees of Galen Catholic College, had the opportunity to attend the 2021 National Youth Science Forum (NYSF) over the January School holidays. Through KBR’s ongoing relationship with In2science, the company was able to support the girls in attending NYSF, which was an exciting opportunity for the duo, as both are hoping to lead future careers in STEM fields.

Charlize and Alannah attended the annual forum virtually via Zoom after the 2020 event in Canberra was cancelled due to the devastating bushfires and subsequent Covid-19 outbreak. “It was really disappointing when it was cancelled,” Charlize, who completed Year 12 in 2020, said, “so getting a second chance to attend the event in 2021, especially with my sister, was really exciting.”

Tuning in from home, the sisters attended workshops, lectures and participated in team activities related to all aspects of STEM. The event opened the girls’ minds to new possibilities within their shared passion for STEM, highlighting potential pathways into their desired careers.

“This experience has left me with a deeper understanding of the different fields of STEM,” said Alannah, who’s currently completing Year 12, and is now exploring the possibility of pursuing a neuroscience or immunology major within a Bachelor of Science, with an aspiration to work in a research lab and find new vaccines or treatments for brain diseases. “The NYSF program has exposed me to all the different career pathways and has inspired me to seek out more avenues beyond what I know now.”

KBR and In2science first worked together on the successful pilot of the “Meet An Engineer" e-mentoring program, which involved five KBR young professionals donating their time to students from regional communities to share their engineering journeys via video conferences. KBR seeks to empower change by contributing to increasing the diversity pipeline in STEM careers for females, and partnerships with In2science and schools such as Galen Catholic College are key to paving a brighter and more diverse future.

“Without the support of KBR and In2science,” Alannah says, “we wouldn’t have been able to attend and explore all these new possibilities within STEM.”