Lisa Yamamoto – Software Engineer Intern

Meet Lisa Yamamoto, the newest member of the Acusensus family. Lisa is currently pursuing a Master of Mechatronics Engineering at the University of Melbourne and is this year’s Acusensus Scholarship for Women in STEM recipient. She is currently spending time with the Acusensus team as a Software Engineer Intern.

When Lisa first stepped into the Melbourne Office, she immediately noticed how hands-on the Acusensus team is. “This is actually my first time at a start-up company office,” Lisa shared, “It’s really nice to see lots of practical, hands-on work happening around you.”

The Acusensus Scholarship for Women in STEM aims to foster gender diversity in the industry, a cause Lisa is very familiar with. For over three years, Lisa has been a part of Robogals Melbourne, a global initiative that inspires young girls to pursue STEM careers for the past three years, where she has served various roles, including Vice President last year and now Treasurer. Her involvement in Robogals started when she joined the university club as a volunteer in the second year of her Bachelor’s Degree. Being a volunteer entails visiting primary and high schools to conduct STEM workshops, introducing programming and electronics activities to school children. “We provide them with an understanding of what STEM could be like – exposing girls to STEM early on,” Lisa explained.

With a heart for mentorship, Lisa also became involved in a mentorship program at Transurban. From this experience, she learned that “having female role models is cool.”

“I think it’s important to have someone to give you a clue as to what your future would look like,” Lisa said. She shared that gender disparity was not something she’d think about a lot while studying at University, even when she’s the only female-identifying person in a group project. “I only thought about it through my work experience. I felt insecure about being a short, Asian girl, and it was [intimidating] to be in a meeting room with very experienced senior male colleagues. I realised I did not have a picture of what my life could look like when I’m 30, 40.” She further emphasised that gender diversity in STEM encourages the industry to have genuine conversations about what women experience in the workplace, creating a more inclusive environment. This experience increases her perspective as she continued to participate in Robogals – where Lisa noticed that primary school girls are incredibly engaged with STEM lesson plans, but the same excitement is not found amongst high school girls.

“I don’t know when the switch happened,” Lisa expressed. “It could be societal pressure, a lack of role models [or] a lack of exposure.” Opportunities to leverage women in STEM becomes significant because of this. Lisa’s story signifies the importance of instilling normalcy and equal opportunities to individuals regardless of gender, as not having a picture of what success could look like discourages people of certain demographics from pursuing their true passions.

When asked what advice Lisa would give to her younger self, she said imposter syndrome is common amongst a lot of girls and women pursuing engineering – “don’t be scared, everyone’s new to everything, everyone doesn’t know what’s happening,” Lisa shared. “Be vulnerable – be open to the fact that you don’t know things,” and most importantly, “try to learn as much as you can.”