Growing up in rural New South Wales, Issy knew there would be barriers between where she was and where she wanted to go.
“I lived on a farm most of my life – it was isolated and my childhood was a bit unstable,” she explains.
“As a single-parent family, we didn’t always have money or resources. I felt like I was at a competitive disadvantage for a long time.
“But university was always a goal of mine,” she continues. “My dad always taught me that if I wanted to do something, I needed to work for it. I was very proactive during high school about looking for scholarships and always being up to date on the opportunities I could get.
Despite feeling that she had many factors “working against” her, Issy used them as motivation to break the patterns that held her back.
“It pushed me to reach out to who I needed to, to break the toxic cycle,” she says.
A supportive high school science teacher helped spark a passion for science in Issy.
“She empowered me,” she says. “She always made it clear that the only limitations would be the ones I placed on myself.
“Her passion for teaching STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) made me realise it was something I wanted to follow in university and as a career path.”
In 2019, Issy heard about Youth Off The Streets and applied for a scholarship through the National Scholarship Program.
“The experience I had was amazing – a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” she says.
“I’ve received several scholarships, but none have been as hands-on or involved. The mentoring aspect and the Scholarships team were like having a support team to guide me through the challenges and the exciting opportunities I got towards the end of high school.”
Issy developed a close relationship with her mentor, Sara Garcia, who became a big part of her support network.
“She’s been a mentor and a friend,” Issy explains. “She’s been there through the highs and lows. I can’t even describe how much I’ve learned from her.
“She’s always encouraged me to step outside my comfort zone and take on challenges instead of shying away. We still keep in touch.”
Sara, an international business leader-turned-speaker, coach and trainer empowering women in business, has mentored three young people in the National Scholarship Program.
“Young people are vulnerable, especially if they haven’t seen many skills and values executed reliably in their lives,” she says.
“And I’m aware of the pivotal nature of launching into adulthood. It can be tough to recover if you don’t get your feet properly placed on that platform. Safeguarding them in that transition is essential.
“I try to help them stay true to who they are and learn some skills to pursue their dreams in adulthood.”
Day to day, she outworks her passion for helping women achieve equal opportunity.
“Women don’t start anywhere near the same line as men,” she states.
“We have various disadvantages in society, which we try to overcome. I can’t do much about society and domestic arrangements – that sort of thing – but I can help them with their challenges and try to influence the culture of organisations a bit.”
“Sara inspires me,” Issy adds. “It’s always empowering to hear how another woman who’s a big role model for me is doing amazing things.”
Sara says she is proud to be involved with Youth Off The Streets.
“The work it’s doing is so necessary,” she explains. “And it’s done so well. It’s hard work – some young people are very open to help, and some find it difficult after experiencing trauma.
“There’s a real lack of connection between people today, but human connection keeps us feeling like we belong – that we have meaning. Youth Off The Streets is helping young people have real, meaningful connections and conversations.”
Issy has graduated from the scholarship program and is in her second year of university, studying health science, majoring in environmental health.
She’s considering going into public health research – particularly looking at how different factors affect people’s health and how that scientific data can be communicated into policymaking.
“I’m interested in how we can use science to solve social issues,” she says.
Being passionate about giving women a platform to create change, Issy considers the STEM industries key to promoting diversity and supporting women in developing creative solutions for society.
“Growing up in a rural town, I’m very aware of the strength and the resilience women have in communities and their leadership when things get tough,” she says.
“STEM is built on individuals using their unique perspectives, knowledge and experience to solve problems. Women bring such a powerful perspective to that.”
Issy’s pursuits in science go beyond ‘band-aid solutions’ that work for a short period – the environmental issues we face as a society are too big for that.
Instead, it’s about innovating to create lasting change.
“Innovation is constantly evolving and, to me, it’s about coming up with creative solutions that are not only going to address the issues now, but will uncover sustainable alternatives to create ongoing change for the better,” she explains.
Sara agrees.
“It’s important to be creative, which means to be curious,” she says. “And to be curious is a wonderful thing. Independence of thought is essential and will continue to be as we experience global challenges.
“We need to be teaching people how to think so that they can positively create the future.”
Learn more about our National Scholarship Program.