Faiza always wanted to work in a job that would allow her to see the world and help others, so at 17 she moved interstate and began her studies as a civil engineer.

Originally from Islamabad, Pakistan, she grew up in Canberra before moving Sydney last year.

"Canberra was nice but I knew that I would want to study here in Sydney when I could because of the opportunities here," she said. "Canberra is too small for me."

Faiza thinks it's good to see more women studying in fields traditionally dominated by men.

"The University of New South Wales is a great place to study and it's been nice to see diversity here," she said. "I live here in Kensington and everywhere you look there are different faces, different backgrounds."

Faiza said she felt a strong commitment to helping those less fortunate and wanted to use her skills as a civil engineer to travel the world and work on projects in developing nations.

"I want to see the world – and if I can do that while helping people, then that's even better," she said.