building management and construction management.

The program connects Indigenous university students with industry partners who provide paid internships and work experience opportunities throughout their degrees. This practical support allows students to gain valuable professional experience while continuing their studies.

The idea for the program came after conversations with Indigenous students who explained that few people in their communities saw STEM as a realistic career option.

“ I realised that many students had the ability but didn’ t have the pathways or support,” she explains.

Through mentoring, cultural engagement and career opportunities, the ASPIRE Program aims to bridge that gap. The initiative now supports around 150 students studying STEM disciplines and has already achieved remarkable results. Historically, many Indigenous students did not remain in engineering degrees long enough to graduate. But the ASPIRE Program is helping change that pattern and more than 20 students are expected to graduate through the program this year, a milestone that Olivia describes as one of her proudest achievements.

“ I’ ve learned so much through working with Indigenous communities,” she says.“ Meeting with parents, elders and students has helped me understand how important it is to create support systems that respect culture and identity.”

The success of the program has been so significant that Western Sydney

University is now exploring ways to expand it to additional disciplines, including architecture, computing, data science and mathematics.

Alongside ASPIRE, Olivia has also become a passionate advocate for women in STEM through the Women of Wisdom( WOW) initiative.

Despite decades of progress, women remain significantly underrepresented in engineering and technology fields. In 2025, women made up only about 16 percent of the STEM workforce.

During her own studies she saw many talented women leave the field because they lacked confidence or support. Determined to change that pattern, she created the WOW program to help female students build confidence, develop networks and discover their potential in STEM careers.

“ When I was studying engineering, there were about 300 students in the class and only two of us were female. Many female students think STEM is too hard, but when they attend the workshops, they realise they can do it.”

The initiative includes school outreach programs, mentoring, industry engagement and hands-on workshops that show students that STEM is not something to fear.

The impact has been significant. Female retention rates in engineering programs have increased from nine percent to 32 percent since WOW began. The number of female students entering the program has also grown steadily, rising to 21 percent this year.

Her outreach efforts extend well beyond the university campus. For eight years she volunteered at a Western Sydney school where 96 percent of students came from refugee or migrant backgrounds. There, she ran STEM workshops with small groups of female students, connecting them with engineers and scientists who could inspire them. The program quickly became so popular that both boys and girls began competing for places.

Olivia encourages postgraduate students, many of whom are migrants themselves, to volunteer in the community and join her in mentoring students still in High School.

“ You have to do more,” she says.“ Giving back to the community is important.”

Her dedication to mentoring and community engagement has not gone unnoticed. In 2026 she was named The Hills Shire Citizen of the Year, recognising her leadership in STEM education and her measurable impact on young people across Western Sydney. The honour came as a surprise.

“ I felt proud, but I was very surprised,” she told me.

For her, the recognition is less about personal achievement and more about inspiring others to contribute.

“ What I’ m doing is spreading,” she explains.“ I want more people to help and give back to the community.”

Despite her impressive engineering

Olivia is most proud of inspiring and working with young people to get into STEM through her ASPIRE and WOW workshops and programs.

career, Olivia says that supporting students and creating opportunities for the next generation has become the most rewarding part of her work.

“ I designed projects like the Parramatta Light Rail as part of my job. But helping people succeed is something different. It is more satisfying.”

Looking back on her journey which started as a determined student in Malaysia to a respected engineer and educator in Australia, Olivia believes that success is never a solo achievement. It comes from the encouragement of others, the courage to persevere and the willingness to lift others along the way.

Her message to young people considering STEM is simple: believe in your potential.

“ We are all different,” she says.“ Sometimes all you need is a little push and someone who believes in you. With that support, you can achieve more than you ever imagined.”

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