“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square hole. The ones who see things differently.” “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” (From Apple’s “Think Different”)
I am going to take you back to 2008. The first iPhone was released, and the Prime Minister of Australia made a formal apology to Australia’s indigenous peoples. After an internship working with military technology, I was about to take the next step and join the Australian Air Force. My thinking was that I could become a commander and make smart decisions that reduced harm. But while filling out the paperwork, suddenly I wondered, “Was war really where I wanted to go?” Instead, I chose to follow my young heart and have some fun DJing for a while.
Eventually, I landed a job as a wind turbine sales engineer, and within three weeks, I was sent to Johannesburg, South Africa. Leaving Australia for the first time, I was excited. But then I saw the front page of the Johannesburg newspaper with a blood-covered photo of a blown-up head, people lining up outside industrial compounds attempting to get a job for the day, and townships where people were burning tires and cooking their food on poisonous fumes. Suddenly I became aware of the deep inequality and inhumanity of the world. I was never the same from that moment.
I learned about how bad fossil fuels are when I was in Johannesburg and saw standby diesel generators used to combat blackouts. I truly believed that if we could make wind energy more efficient and cheaper, we could solve the awful problems that come from dirty fuel (not to mention the corruption that goes with it). When I later landed in the mystical snow- covered land of Denmark on January 4th, 2010, there was a bold vision framed on the wall: “Wind on Par with Oil & Gas.” My passion for renewable energy had been unleashed. I gave it everything I had, and we achieved that crazy goal in just seven years!
Although I grew up in wind energy, one day, I suddenly realized I had also become part of a huge problem. I was too focused on being successful and achieving goals for wind energy to realize that I only had men around me for my whole career—and very few women. As the most senior woman in the commercial organization at the time, I was already challenging the status quo. But when I was invited to my first Women in Energy event, it was revealed to me that I had many female peers in the field. Their capabilities inspired me and filled me with admiration. The One Young World Summit in Bogota in 2017 also woke me up and showed me the vastness of the real world. It spun my world upside down, shook it to the core, and then solidified my new path. I rose up, louder than ever, to speak for justice, representation, and hope.
Together with like-minded changemakers, I founded Impactr, a video- sharing platform built for young creators. Right now, my dream is to use Impactr to spread the Ubuntu spirit and help lead humanity to a fair and just world. In Zulu, Ubuntu means “I am, because you are.” This is the fundamental concept of existing for each other and not one’s self. It means that no one should be excluded or left behind. With the Ubuntu spirit, people of all shapes and sizes will have the chance to live their ideal lives. To make such a world a reality, I will continue to push boundaries, innovate, and unleash my crazy leadership, realizing my dream.
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