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Renny Chivunga
Water network engineer, Hunter Water
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Do not allow your current understanding of what an engineer or scientist looks like to stop you from stepping into what would otherwise be your destiny!
WHAT DO YOU DO?
After treated drinking and recycled water leave the treatment plants, I have the wonderful pleasure of guarding the water against recontamination as it flows through the water pipes. I also have the privilege of minimizing distribution of supply to your home.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS FIELD?
I wanted to study engineering because I felt the degree would open worlds unknown to me as a young African. My passion for the water and wastewater industry is driven by a desire to ensure basic needs are met for all people, which was not the case in the third world country I grew up in. Engineering allowed me the opportunity to be the change I wanted to see.
At 18 I started pursuing a pilots license. While working towards this goal I realized I wasn’t just interested in flying the plane but also in understanding the science that allowed lift, drag and thrust to work in perfect harmony to allow flight!
WHAT DO YOU LOOK AT & THINK, "I WISH YOUNGER ME WOULD HAVE KNOWN THIS WAS POSSIBLE?"
I was a young big dreamer. While I had a knowing deep inside that those dreams could be possible, I wish I had spent less time measuring my dreams against others and especially against those set by naysayers!
I had wonderful parents whose wisdom strengthened my resolve and I should have spent less time in self doubt! I am called to be the best version of myself, which requires a strong understanding that my dreams and who I want to be is unique.
WHY DO YOU LOVE WORKING IN STEM?
I chose a profession and a field of focus where I can serve the community. As long as I am able to aid, challenge and exemplify community focused development and aspirations, I am buzzing!
My work and my personal vision are so closely aligned. I don’t feel like I have gone to work for years! I genuinely love what I do and I sense that everyone around me feels the love and passion jumping at them with every move I make.
BEST ADVICE FOR NEXT GENERATION?
Do not allow your current understanding of what an engineer or scientist looks like to stop you from stepping into what would otherwise be your destiny! I am a pilot, fitness instructor, fashion model and an award winning engineer!
INSPO / FUN FACT
There are two poems I always return to for inspiration, Invictus by William Ernest Henley and Still I Rise by Maya Angelou. The words remind me of how far women and people of color have come, they push me to find another gear when I need the extra strength to rise above the challenge.