On my first day in the school, the principal introduced the school vision to me: “empowering young women of integrity.” It was the sentence that appeared everywhere in the school, not only engraved on the front gate but also printed in our school diaries. Gradually, I realized that it meant much more than a plain sentence in this girls’ school. It has been imprinted in every girl’s mind from the Hampshire House to the senior school, inspiring us to realize and fulfill our potentials. Starting with this vision, my school taught us to value women’s imperative role in this community and develop our strengths for greater future influence.

Like many other girls’ schools in Australia, my community endeavors to break stereotypical gender norms by offering opportunities in diverse areas. Theme assemblies of “Women in STEM,” for example, invited females to share their college education and career experiences in science-related fields. They did not intend to say that all independent women had to perform extraordinarily in the sciences but to broaden our awareness about the subjects that were conventionally regarded as males’ privilege. After listening to this entire series, many of my friends became interested in future careers in STEM and started to consider studying related majors in universities. We are also introduced to STEM internship programs provided by local and national enterprises to work collaboratively with industry professionals. All girls in my school, no matter whether they worked in a medical research institute or got involved in engineering development, developed strengths in a specific area and became inspired for their prospects.

If someone asks any girl in my community, “Does a woman perform worse in logical reasoning because her heart is open to sentimental claims of humanity?,” the answer will always be NO. Indeed, some groups do better than others in mathematics and sciences, but gender is never a cause of this difference. We engage in the after-school club of programming, investigate scientific issues, and solve practical problems with miscellaneous skills. After the outbreak of Covid-19 in Wuhan, I developed a mathematical model that corresponds with the spreading trend of this pandemic. Without encouragement from my teachers, my interests in modelling would end in failure; it was their support, both technical and mental, that helped me overcome difficulties and drove me to push my boundaries. Moreover, all girls are highly encouraged to participate in extended competitions like national Olympiads. When two of my peers were selected for the national team to compete with other countries, our community celebrated their accomplishments and inspired more girls.

Immersing in this inspiring environment, all girls are encouraged to develop personal strengths and nurtured with future influences on society. We, the new generation of leading females, will always pursue a better world with optimistic prospects and our greatest efforts.