How the UTS BIT Co-op Scholarship launched Dylan’s Health-Tech Career

Finding the right fit at UTS 

In Year 12, Isabelle attended an engineering-focused Autumn School program that took students across multiple universities and industry sites. She experimented with coding for the first time, built small mechatronics projects and visited major engineering companies. 

“That was when it clicked,” she says. “I realised engineering wasn’t just theory. It was building things. Solving problems. Working in teams.” 

UTS stood out early as her choice of uni after a school tour had introduced her to the university’s practical approach to learning; assessments built around projects rather than purely traditional exams. For someone who wanted to make things, that mattered. 

She also appreciated the flexibility of combining Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering. Mechanical gave her a strong foundation in physics and design. Mechatronics introduced electronics, coding and systems thinking. 

“They go hand in hand,” she explains. “Mechatronics is that integration piece that brings electrical and mechanical systems together.” 

Being a woman in engineering

Coming from an all-girls school, Isabelle was aware that engineering classrooms would look different.

Isabelle found her community through the friends she made in the Autumn School, who also joined UTS. Many of those same friends are now part of her professional and extracurricular network. 

She also began to volunteer with Engineers Australia, helping run outreach camps, including the very program she attended as a Year 12 student. Guiding younger students through engineering challenges and site visits reinforced her own passion. 

“It’s everything I wish I had when I was younger.” 

Learning Engineering in the real world 

Through the diploma in industry program, Isabelle completed a six-month engineering internship with Sydney Metro in her first year. 

Placed within the Engineering and Maintenance Delivery team, she worked on real-world engineering investigations for autonomous train systems, conducting testing, running reports and contributing to day-to-day operational problem solving. 

“That’s where I really started learning systems engineering,” she says. “Risk management, processes, documentation, understanding how everything connects.” 

It wasn’t textbook learning. It was a live, complex infrastructure. 

The hands-on engineering experience reshaped how she approached university projects. She returned to campus with sharper focus, clearer discipline and a new appreciation for process-driven engineering. 

Building a race car and a reputation 

While on internship, colleagues encouraged her to join UTS Motorsport, the university’s student Formula SAE team that designs, builds and races electric vehicles in international competition. She joined in 2024. 

At first, it was about learning. She joined the electrical team, developed new skills like PCB design and soldering, and immersed herself in the culture of the workshop. 

“I was surrounded by some of the smartest, most dedicated people I’d met,” she says. “It pushed me to lift my own standards.” 

By 2025, she had stepped into a systems-level role, overseeing scrutineering compliance, documentation processes and integration between sub-teams. The team participated in engineering competitions in Australia, successfully passing all technical checks and finishing in the top 10 in Australasia, a milestone years in the making. 

Eventually, she was appointed Systems Engineering Director. The role taught her something unexpected about engineering leadership. 

“You can’t force people to participate in the way you want. You learn to collaborate. You listen. You build trust.” 

She quickly learnt that leadership is less about authority and more about shared purpose. 

“We’re all here because we love the game.” 

Representing women in Engineering 

When Engineers Australia invited Isabelle to appear in promotional content connected to the Australian Grand Prix, it felt surreal. Standing beside the UTS race car, representing student engineers and women leading motorsport teams, on a national platform, made her feel proud, not just for herself, but for the team and women across the board.