Futures Team @ Pymble

emPOWERED Lunch

This week, we were lucky enough to have Dr Jennifer Matthews and Zoë Callister-Hakewill join us for a double emPOWER Lunch. Students had the opportunity to talk to these inspiring women about their careers and life experiences, giving us a glimpse into life after school.

Dr Jennifer Matthews is a coral biologist and a Human Frontiers Science Program Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Future Reefs Research Program, who has pioneered the application of metabolomics in coral health. It was amazing to hear about the fascinating, and sometimes surprising, journey that her career has taken her on – whether that be conducting research in the Amazon, or having a two-week long holiday in Thailand becoming a four year stay, founding Big Blue Conservation to protect Thailand’s reef ecosystems.

Above all, Dr Matthews talked to us about the importance of following your passion, wherever it may lead you. Relaying her own experience, she explained that your path in life can change so much – when she left school, she never imagined that she would become a marine biologist. She encouraged us to take any opportunity and learn what it is that we love doing. We can’t wait to see some of our students become pioneers in biology and conservation. Thank you so much, Dr Matthews!

We also wanted to thank Zoë Callister-Hakewill for the thoughtful discussion she had with students about medical technology and bioengineering. Zoë graduated in 2016 with a Bachelor of Medical Science, and has since completed Masters in Public Health, Business Administration, and Health Law.

Currently, she is the general manager of Dr’s On Call and the host of the podcast Beyond the Medicine Cabinet. It was extremely interesting to hear about the different intersecting pathways between medicine and other disciplines, as she delved into the various careers, roles and projects we could undertake.

She was passionate about the need for further communication between health sciences and the public, which motivated her to create her podcast talking about innovative medical technologies in an accessible manner. Her enthusiasm and depth of knowledge was so inspiring, and we hope that our students continue to forge a pathway for women in STEM, just as she has.