Mechanical engineer, Yassmin Abdel-Magied, is comfortable on an oil rig, under the hood of a race car, on the red carpet and chairing international conferences.
Born in Sudan, Yassmin moved to Queensland at the age of two and quickly made her mark in the community.
As an engineering student, Yassmin used to run the University of Queensland's Formula SAE Team. “Seeing my chassis actually being built, welding and putting it together and then actually watching it being driven around the racetrack was something that is beyond rewarding,” she recalls.
Her passion for cars also led to a common misconception about engineers and the role they play. “I cannot recall the number of people who have asked me to fix their cars; change their oil or fiddle with their spark plugs. I tell them: ‘Look, I can, but that’s not because I studied engineering. It's just because I really like cars.’”
She is founder and president of Youth Without Borders, a not-for profit organization that introduces grade 10 to 12 high school students to the marvelous world of engineering. At 23, Yassmin has accomplished a lot, but one gets the sense that she has only just started.
The August issue of create magazine includes an in-depth profile of Yassmin’s interesting career. The 2015 Queensland Young Australian of the Year also offers four nuggets of wisdom to up and coming engineers in Australia.
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