CQUni Cares Scholarship: From heavy diesel mechanic to mechanical engineer

There’s no single pathway into engineering. For CQU Cares Downer Scholarship recipient Kieraley, it started with a trade, a career working on heavy machinery and a curiosity to understand why things fail. Now, she’s building on that experience through a Mechanical Engineering degree.

There’s no single pathway into engineering. For CQU Cares Downer Scholarship recipient Kieraley, it started with a trade, a career working on heavy machinery and a curiosity to understand why things fail.

After leaving school early, Kieraley completed a trade as a heavy diesel mechanic and built her career working across mining machinery, trucks and locomotives.

Working with heavy equipment sparked an interest in failure investigations and understanding the root causes of critical component failures.

Wanting the knowledge to take that interest further, at 28 Kieraley enrolled in CQUniversity’s Associate Degree of Engineering.

It was also a significant return to study. Having left school before Year 12, Kieraley had to rebuild her academic skills and develop new study habits, initially while balancing university with 12-hour shifts as a heavy diesel mechanic.

She has since progressed to a Mechanical Engineering degree and is now studying full-time remotely from Port Hedland in Western Australia.

Flexible study has made that possible, and receiving the CQU Cares Downer Scholarship has helped Kieraley dedicate more time to her degree after stepping away from employment.

“It gives me the freedom to focus more deeply on my studies and relieves some of the financial pressure that came with leaving employment to study. It also gives me confidence that I’ve made the right decision. I really appreciate seeing companies like Downer support students who don’t necessarily fit the standard mould.”

Mark O’Neill, Senior Inclusion & Belonging Manager, Downer Energy & Utilities, said the scholarship is about helping create practical pathways into engineering and infrastructure careers.

“There’s no single pathway into engineering. Kieraley’s story shows the value of creating opportunities for people with different experiences and backgrounds to build their skills and pursue a career in our industry. We’re proud to support her through the CQU Cares Downer Scholarship.”

Looking ahead, Kieraley hopes to use her engineering career to help solve real-world problems and improve people’s quality of life, drawing on both her practical experience and the skills she is building through university.

She also hopes her experience encourages more women, mature-age students and people from non-traditional academic pathways to consider engineering.

It’s a message she has shared with female apprentices before, and one she sums up simply: