Girls In Stem - High Tea
Mater Dei Catholic College hosted the inaugural Girls in STEM High Tea 2026 program for Year 9 students.
Developed in partnership with the NSW Department of Education and supported by industry mentors and organisations, including Transgrid and the University of Wollongong the initiative aimed to promote future STEM pathways through interactive challenges, guest speakers, and mentorship. The program encouraged participants to pursue senior (Years 11 and 12) STEM subjects and raised awareness about career paths in engineering, technology, and science.
Pre- and post-event survey evaluations demonstrated significant positive outcomes for the participating students:
Stage 6 Intentions: A 25% increase in students planning to choose STEM subjects in Stage 6 (rising from 46% to 70.6%).
STEM Futures: A 15.1% increase in students who could envision themselves working in a STEM-related field.
Skill and Confidence Boosts: Noticeable increases in subject confidence, particularly in Science and Mathematics, alongside a growing desire to develop enterprise skills like creativity, originality, and problem-solving.
Here are some of the comments from the participating Year 9 Students:
“They really opened my mind about the industry.”
“Yes this is because I now see myself working in an engineering role more clearly.”
“I didn't realise how many careers that I have considered actually come from STEM subjects. I always thought many of these were possible but I have also learnt about many more that I hadn't ever thought about pursuing.”
“Yes, STEM is a major key in teaching.”
“I have been exposed to so many wonderful and inspirational women. They have displayed a heap of different pathways and careers that broadens my horizons.”
“I love hands-on work and math and science.”
“They taught me a lot about how important it is.”
“I am now more open minded but am still interested in Agriculture.”
“Yes I found that I’m interested in that field as my career and I wish to do something in the future involving STEM.”
We extend our sincere thanks to our inspiring guest speakers, Ms Christy Kirk (People and Culture Manager, Hutcheon and Pearce) and Ms Marion Geltinger (Chief Operations Officer, Halocell), for sharing their time and expertise.
Special thankyou to Ms Stacey Suidgeest (Senior Project Officer, Regional Industry Education Partnerships Program) for her invaluable contribution in coordinating 30 STEM mentors and ensuring the smooth running of the day, as well as Ms Renee Goring and Transgrid for providing the venue and running the Transgrid Challenge.
Mrs Courtney Freebody | Leader of Learning - Digital Technology and STEM
