John Cain Foundation Monthly Lunch

"Engineering is about innovation, solving problems, contributing to the community"

“Engineering, in general is misunderstood in terms of you having to always be working with typical engineering corporates or those in the field. Engineering is about innovation, solving problems, contributing to the community, so I really advise people that before they go to talk to people at the university and in the industry, they should know exactly what they will be encountering and it is not purely a male thing at all.” Fast forward to her graduation and Haya completed her program with first class honours, an acknowledgement for her inclusion on the Dean’s Honours List and a place in a PhD program. “I want to come to a point where I can make a change, whether it is within a project management or personal context,” said Haya. “I’m interested in homelessness issues, encouraging more females to join engineering industries, and I just want to use some of the skills that I have to contribute more to the community. I am also looking to learn more, and therefore I am looking to join an exciting project so that I can learn in return.” Haya’s international experience is invaluable when considering Melbourne’s status as one of the world’s most liveable cities, but she suggests that work needs to be done on high rise buildings, which are very prominent not only in the inner city, but also apartment buildings that are cropping up on the outskirts of the city. High rise buildings, says Haya, could put pressure on our infrastructure and could affect the quality of living in apartments due to the small size of the rooms – some of which have no windows and include an open plan kitchen which could affect the air quality of the space. “I think we need to regulate this more and I’m sure they’re working on this now to get more quality living within high rise buildings,” said Haya.

As Haya prepares for the coming months, she remains imbued with a sense of positivity not only for her future, but also for the future of female representation in engineering, and for those in engineering. “First of all I want to tell people to do something that you love so that whenever you’re weak you’re still motivated to do it. And manage your time. There is no such thing like a hard subject to pass, or a hard exam - I don’t believe it’s such a thing.”

Women's Forum Review

Wednesday 15th March Rules for a contented life

1Health is the greatest gift, and contentment is the greatest wealth.

2Live in the present and look into the future.

3Live purposefully (e.g., a reason to get up and get on with the day). Don’t just exist, really live your life with purpose because research shows that people are happier when they have meaning in their life: a belief in something bigger than themselves – from religion and spirituality to a philosophy of life.

4Develop a happy family situation. A contented life is having family and/or friends around you. Mutual respect, love and friendship have a much bigger effect on happiness and contentment.

5Aim to leave the cup half full, not half empty. Focus on the positiveness of one's life. Live working towards goals that are aligned with our needs, values and identity (self-concordant goals). When pursuing self-concordant goals our sense of satisfaction (happiness) increases.

6Deal with what you can influence and don't worry about things you cannot influence. 7 Contentment is living without limitation. One's ability to live the life they desire may be blocked by set limits and may not produce results they are capable of achieving. It is important to attain true abundance, satisfaction and fulfillment in life.

8One can be content if one has enough to meet one's own needs with a little bit even to deal with emergencies. Having sufficient financial resources takes the load off one's shoulders so one can focus on living a fulfilled life.

9Invitation (with material goods or people) is the enemy of contentment. One has to be able to like oneself and accept what one is in order to be content. 10 Contentment comes down to personal relationships. It is related to living one's own life and not prospecting one's own towards the ambitions on to one's offspring. 11 Conclusion: My contentment is that I am "content" with who, what and where I am. Life is for living, therefore live happily with what you have and who you are.

The next forum is on Wednesday, 21st June with the topic The Role of Parents The forum is free. Lunch is at Member and non-member prices.

ERRATA The 2017 Calendar contains incorrect Women's Forum dates. The correct dates are: JUNE - 21st, JULY - 19th, OCTOBER - 18th, DECEMBER - 13th . We apologise for the confusion and have rectified the online version of the calendar.