The ‘Mentor Leaders Program’ is an exciting initiative generously supported by Toyota Community Trust. In 2020, a pilot of this program launched in classrooms, where In2science mentors led career-focused discussions with small groups of high school students. Preliminary evaluations showed that after engaging in the STEM career discussions, high school students better understood their STEM skills and interests and were better equipped to identify their own future career options.
This year, the Mentor Leaders Program has been refined and expanded to include STEM Professional mentors from our network of industry partners. These early-to-mid-career professionals support In2science mentors to further develop their leadership skills and knowledge of STEM careers. We had an outstanding number of STEM Professionals volunteer to mentor our In2science mentors, including Pauline Deng, a Pharmacovigilance Specialist at CSL. Pauline has a passion for not only leading continuous improvement initiatives but also advocating for STEM.
Pauline began her journey in STEM pursuing a Bachelor of Science (Honours) before joining CSL as part of their science graduate intake. Over the past 4 years in the pharmaceutical industry, Pauline has gained experience and skills within the field and now works in a global role in Pharmacovigilance. Pauline‘s journey from university into a STEM career generates an invaluable story to be shared with In2science mentors about life after university and the future prospects in STEM.
In volunteering for the Mentors Leaders Program as a STEM Professional, Pauline wants to share the importance of transferable skills. This is illustrated by Pauline’s change in career trajectory, “I always thought I’d be a researcher in the field of tumor immunology as that was what I found fascinating. However, I ended up in the CSL Graduate Program and it really has given me many fantastic opportunities!” Despite the shift in career pathways after university Pauline still had the relevant experience and knowledge to successfully navigate this change in direction. Pauline also attributes her career success thus far to volunteering opportunities that have allowed her to develop leadership and problem-solving skills, both of which she can help In2science mentors build for themselves through mentorship.
Ultimately, mentors like Pauline are important in guiding people in STEM through every aspect of their study and career path. Whether it be choosing the best VCE subjects, building soft skills applicable to many stages of their career, or navigating changes in their STEM journey.
We look forward to working with more STEM Professionals from our industry networks to continue the success of the Mentor Leaders Program. We are excited to see the positive influence the Professional Mentors have in building the confidence and career aspirations in our In2science mentors, which is then filtered down to the high school students. Stay tuned for further updates on this exciting program!
To find out more about how Industry partnerships can support STEM engagement for secondary school students, please contact In2science Program Director, Dr Alison Every.
