Tess is a Graduate Consultant working in our environment team in Brisbane. As a kid growing up in Central Queensland, Tess could be found hanging outside in nature, playing in the creek with friends and riding her bike along the local BMX tracks. Her love of the outdoors helped her choose a career in environmental science.
Tess best aligns with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal is number 15, ‘Life on Land’. Learn how Arup is helping Tess create a pathway to her purpose:
Why did you choose the Arup graduate programme?
I knew a few people that worked at Arup, and they always spoke highly of the firm. The culture seemed like the right fit for me. When I was looking for opportunities, Arup was one of the only engineering companies that anchor all their work to sustainable development and had a dedicated environmental team. So, I started my journey through the vacation programme, and I knew it was a place where I could follow my purpose and take my career where I wanted it to go.
What do you get up to in your day-to-day role?
I help our clients manage environmental risks that threaten people, our cities and the environment. I’ve been working on significant infrastructure projects and smaller projects like environmental assessments over the last two years. In my team, we work with specialists to understand the different aspects of the environment and all the various constraints assessed for a project. In addition, I get involved in a wide range of activities, from advising policy to helping protect endangered species.
Over the last year, I’ve been working on an offshore wind farm project, if constructed it will be one of Australia’s first-ever offshore wind farms. The project involves conducting environmental assessments, meeting with government and community stakeholders about project approval, and working with the client to guide design decisions. It’s exciting to be ahead of the curve and progress renewable energy in Australia. So, it’s great to be at the forefront of this technology.
What are your future aspirations?
I want to help protect and restore our environment and mitigate impacts from climate change in the future. Continuing my work in the renewable energy space on projects like Australis will help me reach this goal. It excites me to imagine what I will be doing in the future if I’m doing such exciting work now.