At only 15 years old, Michaela Loukas was selected to participate in the National Computer Science School (NCSS) program run by Grok Academy.

The NCSS offers a 10-day intensive computer science program and invites Year 11 and 12 students with a passion for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) topics to take part. With hundreds of applicants nationwide, the Year 11 Greek Australian student was one of only 80 students exclusively selected to be a part of the Sydney program.

“I attended the Sydney stream of the program which focused heavily on cybersecurity,” Michaela told The Greek Herald.

“We learnt a bit about machine coding which is a complex programming language, as commands are written solely through numbers compared to its higher-level counterparts like Python and Java, which use a variety of written statements.

“We also learnt about social engineering and how scammers design phishing emails to try and deceive people into giving money or valuable information and details. One of the tasks we got to do was write our own fake email scams, which I really enjoyed.”

During the NCSS Sydney course, students were also given the opportunity to harness their skills in cryptography, machine coding, lock picking and social engineering. Students worked alongside expert mentors and top-level software engineers from major companies including Atlassian, Google, WiseTech Global, Macquarie and many more. 

“I was able to combine my writing skills, programming skills and cybersecurity skills… We also learnt skills like lockpicking… which was surprisingly really engaging and eye-opening,” Michaela said.

The Year 11 student said as well as being one of the youngest to undertake the program, she was the only student with Greek heritage.

“Having that sense of community, whether it’s based on ethnicity or shared interests, can be so empowering,” Michaela said.

“I think that when you have friends or classmates with the same background to you, it can make young people more inclined to pursue STEM as they feel like they have that community and belonging aspect, as well as a great support network.”

Michaela was also nominated as a team leader in the program, and she won the NCSS 2024 student prize at the graduation ceremony.

Females in STEM:

Michaela explained that she always had a love for science.

“My interest in computer science was fostered around primary school when I was in Year 5. I would go to computer club at lunchtime and through that my love for it grew,” she said.

“My primary school teacher had actually asked me if I wanted to participate in the ANSTO national coding competition and I had thought to myself, ‘why not, I’ll give it a go,’ and then I actually ended up coming first in the state too, which was so exciting.”

The 15-year-old said one day she hopes to combine her love for computer science with medicine.

“In the really distant future, I’d love to create my own software which can be utilised in the health care or medical industry,” Michaela said.

“I’ve always had a passion for learning about how the human body works and I feel like I can combine that with my passion for STEM by creating some sort of device program which helps patients with diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment.”

Following the NCSS 10-day program, Michaela was then invited to assist with a project at Grok Academy.

“I actually came up with the idea of creating a prototype for a screening device which detects whether or not a patient shows signs of melanoma, which is an issue close to my heart,” she explained.

“It was targeted towards rural Australians who lack that instant access to medical facilities or screening centres just so they can be aware of any possible signs of cancer to enforce early intervention and prevent melanoma, which is one of the most common type of cancers.”

Michaela said despite the number of males in the field, she was all about encouraging other young women to get involved in STEM fields. 

“There is this stigma that girls only choose STEM to impress boys. It’s disheartening, but I’ve learned to prioritise my own happiness and passions over others’ judgments,” she said.

“Beyond learning all the technical skills, NCSS allowed to me to find a place where I finally felt like I belonged. It was about finding your tribe and pursuing your passions, regardless of the barriers society may impose.”

What’s her words of advice to other young women like her?

“Although it’s cliché, I think my advice to other young girls like myself is ‘don’t care about what other people think’,” she answered.

“I know it’s hard, but at the end of the day, people are going to judge anyway… so if a science subject is what makes you happy, and you’re interested in it, and you have this burning passion for it, then just do it.”

For International Women’s Day today, The Greek Herald spoke with Cassandra Kalpaxis from Kalpaxis Legal in Sydney to hear about her inspiring story and what she has achieved as a family lawyer, mediator, and author.

The mum-of-three is a distinguished family lawyer with over 17 years of experience in the field. Her specialty is helping women navigate the complexities of separation and divorce. This stems from her desire to advocate for those who are vulnerable or underprivileged.

“I don’t think anybody gets into law for any other reason. Lawyers do genuinely want to help people,” Cassandra told The Greek Herald.

“I’m really excited to be in a space where we’re finally seeing some amazing traction around women in the legal profession and we’re embracing all the amazing things they’re accomplishing.

“For me, getting into practicing family law was very much based on seeing the way that children interact with their parents and through my own experiences as well. My marriage also experienced some difficulty early on and being able to navigate that process and go through my own challenges allowed me to better understand my client’s perspective.”

Cassandra, who previously practised criminal law, said her journey to becoming a lawyer began when she was a young teenager.

“I was really fortunate to have a beautiful family friend who was a lawyer, and he gave me the opportunity when I was just 14 to be able to come in [and work at his firm] on school holidays,” she said.

“I would literally make coffees and run around and pick up things for people. I also read a lot, which helped me get familiar with the language, the jargon.

“Then when I finished school, I worked for him full-time and went to university at night… It was just a really amazing experience, and I ended up staying with his firm for about eight years.”

In addition to her legal practice, Cassandra is also an accomplished author, mediator, and advocate for women’s empowerment.

She has written three books, with two expected to launch this year. Her books offer valuable resources for those going through divorce and grief – reflecting her commitment to providing support and guidance beyond the courtroom.

“It’s really expensive to see a lawyer, especially while we’re experiencing this cost-of-living crisis, so what I wanted to do was give people who can’t afford to speak to a lawyer the opportunity to have something in their hands to help them,” Cassandra said.

Reflecting on International Women’s Day 2024, Cassandra emphasised the importance of recognising and celebrating the achievements of women in all fields. 

“It’s so important that we have International Women’s Day because women do so much,” she said.

“I think what’s going to happen in the industry is we’re going to see a really beautiful shift around embracing women who need flexibility in the workplace, this includes women who are trailblazers in their own right and women who are okay with pushing back on the status quo.

“I have a daughter and on days where it’s really tough and tricky, I remind myself that I want her to be raised fiercely independent, for her to have opinions that are respected, for her to never face the same adversities that I faced when I entered the space, and if she doesn’t want to be a lawyer… I’m all for it, as long as she does what makes her happy in a really authentic way.”

Cassandra added that one of her greatest achievements by far was her family.

“Being in a position where we have overcome a lot together, and that’s not a small fee for the world that we live in at the moment and being able to keep a family unit together and to approach problems in a way that is done as a unit, is probably my greatest achievement,” she said.

“Professionally, I think turning a practice into something that was really designed for people, and being able to offer solutions that really make a difference to people’s lives is something else I’m really proud of.

“My goals for the future now are really to create a community for women where they can step in, feel safe, feel supported and know that whatever they want to achieve, they’ve got an amazing set of people behind them, and to have a more holistic approach to the law.”