“I want to do something that no one has done ever before.”
These are the bold words of Kyra Alday, a 20-year old mechatronic engineering student in her fourth year of study at the University of New South Wales. She is working hard on her dream to be in the frontier of the space industry in the future.
Originally from Manila, she moved to Australia in 2006 with her family when she was just six years old. In 2018, she entered university with a dream of becoming an engineer. 
Kyra with her family Source: supplied by Kyra Alday
Choose to Challenge
"As a woman doing engineering and doing a lot of activities which tend to be male-dominated. The biggest challenge has been overcoming my own fear," she said.
Kyra believes that fear and self-doubt pose a challenge daily.
“Every time I decide, there is this split second of self-doubt and uncertainty. I think about how it might reflect on others, how I think about myself and that is a challenge not easy to overcome and it’s a challenge I face every day.”
Kyra thanks her family for encouraging her to continuously challenge herself and reach greater heights.
Overcoming Barriers
It was not an easy journey for the Filipina, especially to the degree to which she is currently in. Engineering is a highly male-dominated degree globally.
In Australia, about 84 per cent of engineering graduates are men and only about 13 per cent of engineers in the workforce are female. Kyra was always keen to break this gender norm by striving to be one of the best.
She believes that what she is currently doing will have positive repercussions in the future.
“By tackling that challenge every time gets me one step closer to doing my small part in paving a way for future women and future generations in breaking those social and gender norms.”
As a step to overcome these barriers, she always keeps on reminding herself to take one step ahead and prove her worth. When faced with ridicule and criticism, she often takes these as fuel to keep her motivated even more.
Kyra in one of her internships Source: supplied by Kyra Alday
“What motivates me is the thought of I’ve already been judged. People have taken one look at me, just by the way I look, my name or anything, I’ve already been put in a box. They have already defined what my limits are, assumptions in what I can do as an individual and that is not fair. I haven't been given a chance to prove them wrong and that’s what I will continue doing no matter what.”
A strong belief in equality
“It’s extremely important for all genders to have equal opportunities. Every individual brings a unique set of experiences, skills and ideas to the table and denying anyone equal access to opportunities is rejecting those experiences, skills and ideas. By doing so, we limit ourselves and our potential by excluding each other.”
Never holding back, Kyra had been actively involved in multiple opportunities that helped her with her personal growth. She was part of the team that won 2nd place in the IBM Call for Code May Hackathon last year against other students across Australia and New Zealand.
She is also a student leader currently leading the university’s French Society as president and was the former president of the Musical Theatre Society. On top of being excellent in the career path she is building; for leisure, she holds a 2nd degree in karate (which also tends to be a male-dominated sport).
Kyra is part of the UNSW solar race team “Sunswift” - one of the most successful teams in the World Solar Challenge. Source: supplied by Kyra Alday
A dream like no other
The aspiring engineer admittedly said that her journey was not easy however she still finds it enjoyable.
“Challenging expectations and my boundaries haven't been easy, but it’s been fun!”
Kyra ultimately dreams to be working in the space industry someday.
“I want to do something that no one has done ever before. As someone who is doing engineering, I am already at the frontier of development, the newest ideas and the latest creations. I want to work in the space industry and just be really in the frontier of innovation. Discovering new things and knowing that what I am learning and discovering is something that people haven't done before.”
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