Emily Crozier is a UTS and WiEIT alumni currently working as a civil engineer. Read more to learn about her journey as a gender equity advocate during university and now in industry.
WiEIT as a space for champions of change
Emily first heard of UTS Women in Engineering and IT (WiEIT) before university, and immediately recognised the benefits of the group as a space for champions of change. Emily found in WiEIT a home. Understanding that the community’s values of inclusion and advocacy were aligned with her own, Emily decided to join our WiEIT School Outreach Program, where she was able to inspire primary and high school students and show them what they are capable of doing.
(WiEIT’s community) is a group of people that genuinely care about building others up. It is about bringing different people with diverse experiences and backgrounds together and giving everyone an equal opportunity to succeed in whatever their passions happen to be.
Emily Crozier
A career in civil engineering
In her final year, Emily was awarded the Richard Crookes Construction Merit Scholarship for Women, where she worked as an intern for a short period of time. Her first project on a commercial building in Parramatta made her realise how much she enjoyed working on site and being involved in the day to day works. Her next project was an Aquatic and Fitness Centre. Emily is now working on a project that targets improving infrastructure and accessibility at train stations at Laing O’Rourke Australia. Her portfolio of works demonstrates the wide range of opportunities available in civil engineering for those considering the field: “The three jobs I have been involved in illustrate the number of things you can do in engineering or IT … the breadth of experience you can have in the industry we work in is insane”.
The importance of gender diversity in the workplace
Emily is an advocate of gender diversity and passionate about making sure women’s voices are heard. Moreover, she discussed how her current project comprised of over 50% women, an unusual but encouraging environment to be a part of. Though she reflects that the construction industry can be inflexible and demanding, Emily emphasised her positive experiences in the industry, highlighting that her male peers within university and beyond were continuous allies and contributed to an environment that allowed her to prosper.
We need to build places that are reflective of the communities we’re building them for. And women are therefore an integral part of that.
Emily Crozier
A final word
Tying in with her experience at WiEIT and being involved with the School Outreach Program, Emily talked about the impact that a personal story can have in a way that you don’t foresee: ‘It is about sharing your passion, going out to someone that you might never have spoken to before, and giving them a glimpse of what life might be like if they pursued that dream.’
(As an engineer) you can continue to build things that will last for generations and have meaningful impacts on communities. And there's not many industries where you can walk past something in several years and say ‘I built that. I had a part in that.
Emily Crozier
with Emily
We hope were inspired by Emily's story as much as we were!
Byline: Amber Rizvi, Gender Equity Ambassador and part of the Communications Team.
Interview: Amber Rizvi and Victoria Migueles, Program Officer.