Monika Sud — 150 year interview

For Monika Sud, discovering the Whitworth Scholarship brought a sense of belonging. A student at the time, she knew of only one other person in her year that had taken the apprenticeship route into university. "I was amazed that there was a scholarship out there for people who had taken a different path," she says. "It was a great way to join something where I would find others like me."

At university, Sud discovered she had a different set of skills to her peers, who had travelled along academic channels. She excelled at hands-on tasks and project management. In 2005 she left England to live in Australia, where she is now a senior associate in a management consulting firm handling giant infrastructure projects.

Sud says the Whitworth Scholarship helped build her career. It helped fund her studies and opened up a whole new network. For Sud, some of the great global challenges for engineers include climate change and population growth, which puts strain on food and water supplies.

She is pleased to see engineering opening up and becoming more diverse. "I see more females entering engineering, which is great. There's lots more diversity. Here in Australia we've got all different races, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, coming into the career, which has been fabulous to see."

"My message to those considering the scholarship is: it's definitely worth applying. It's a prestigious award, if you're successful. It has really lifted my career and I am proud to have the words 'Whitworth Scholar' on my business card."