Odette Maher
2021

Odette

Engineering (Digital Technology & Design)

VIC

have been accepted into an engineering double degree at Monash University Clayton campus in 2021. 

I come from a pretty traditional upbringing in Lilydale, although I spent the early years of my life in Ringwood. My dad is an electrical engineer himself, which has given me years of tinkering and designing experience shared with him. I have attended numerous schools, although my move to the specialist John Monash Science School in Year 11 surrounded me with a like-minded and supportive community. It gave me the confidence to pursue my academic interests, as well as the freedom to confront my gender dysphoria without fear of harassment or discrimination. 

Throughout my education, I have been guided by and looked up to a diverse range of role models. Yet it was not until I was fifteen that I met my first queer role model, and not until sixteen that I discovered trans people were not the stereotype I had been taught. I aspire to be that role model to somebody else. To show others not only my love for engineering and design, but also that trans people can strive for the same authenticity and respect that everyone deserves.