LUMEN Spring 2022 - Flipbook - Page 7
HEALTH
underpinned by representation.
“Typically, in movies and TV shows
you always see smart characters
as being socially awkward, or the
character with no friends, or the
character that gets picked on until
she gets a makeover,” she said.
“I genuinely think it puts young girls
off a career in STEM.”
One of only two girls in her Year 12
physics class, Luisa’s no stranger to
the pervasive typecasting of STEM
professionals. And while working
as the South Australian STEM
ambassador for Google’s Engineers
Without Borders program, she
encountered the same narrative time
and time again.
“Whenever I asked the kids if they
knew an engineer, they would usually
say their dad was an engineer, but
very rarely would they mention their
mum,” she explained.
“Plus, there’s this idea that it’s not
‘cool’ to be smart.”
In a bid to prove that there’s
“no singular look for women in
engineering”, Luisa entered the
Miss Universe Australia competition
in 2019.
“When I talk to other women in
engineering, a lot of the time there’s
another woman they know who’s also
in engineering,” she said.
“It seems to be a big part of
encouraging young girls to pursue
these careers.”
The cyclical impact of this visibility
and representation is something
Luisa has experienced firsthand. She
credits her own pursuit of a STEM
career to her older sister Carmela,
who herself was inspired to study
engineering thanks to the influence
of her physics teacher’s daughter.
“I really didn't know what an
engineer was until I saw an
engineer, being my sister Carmela,”
explained Luisa.
Inspired by Carmela’s pursuit of a
niche engineering sub-sector, the
latest iteration of Luisa’s YouTube
series STEM at HOME: What Do
You Do? highlights the many and
varied careers in STEM.
“When you think about civil
engineering, most people know that
it’s roads, bridges and footpaths, you
can really see those things,” she said.
“But they don’t know what
telecommunications engineering
is, so they don’t consider it as a
career option.”
Luisa has published 20 videos, each
showcasing a different potential
pathway for budding STEM
students. She estimates there are a
further 60 episodes to come.
Unsurprisingly, she’s already
been recognised extensively for
her work, counting the 2019
Graduate of the Year Award from
the National Association of Women
in Construction among a slew of
nominations and accolades.
But the Bachelor of Engineering
(Civil and Architectural) Honours
graduate counts winning the 2021
James McWha Rising Star Award as
a career highlight.
“The first thing I did was research
the awards and I remember seeing a
list of names of people who’d won in
the past,” said Luisa.
“I saw Julia Gillard’s name and I
was reading her book at the time
— I couldn’t believe I was being
recognised on the same list as her.”
For Luisa, “it was the fact that
someone had gone out of their way
to nominate [her]” that held the
most weight.
“I later found out it was someone
from the Faculty of Engineering,
Computer and Mathematical
Sciences [now the Faculty
of Science, Engineering and
Technology],” said Luisa.
“My mother was of the
view that having an
education would open
doors for us that she
never had open for her.
I think that’s because
she’d seen the side of not
having an education and
not having job security as
a result.”
“That made it even more special
because I felt very close to my
faculty when I was at the University.
“It was a full-circle moment, and
I remember feeling really proud
of myself.”
A young woman with the world at
her feet, Luisa’s showing no signs of
slowing down.
“Eventually I want to be a CEO. I
want to be at the top. I don’t think
you need the power to make change,
but I think it definitely helps.”
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Luisa Panuccio
Photo credit:
Josh Geelen
ALUMNI MAGAZINE - SPRING 2022
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