Wavell State High School Year 12 student Zahra Patel has been named runner-up in the Exceptional Female QMEA Student Award at the 2026 Women in Mining and Resources Queensland International Women’s Day Luncheon and Resources Awards for Women, recognising years of dedication to STEM pathways and the resources sector.
Zahra attended the Brisbane luncheon alongside fellow Wavell student and University of Queensland Science Ambassador Nia Benson and teacher Mr Drago, representing a school that has been part of the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy since its founding in 2005. The event brought together industry leaders, keynote speakers and students from across Queensland to celebrate the contribution women are making to the resources and energy sector. Attendees heard from keynote speaker Claire Parkinson, a former mining executive and prison governor, who shared insights on leadership and career resilience.
The runner-up recognition in the Exceptional Female QMEA Student category reflects Zahra’s sustained involvement in STEM opportunities over many years, rather than a single standout achievement. She celebrated the result with her family, who were present at the luncheon. Zahra is also a participant in the WIMARQ Mentoring Program, which pairs female Year 12 students with women working in the resources sector, providing one-on-one guidance and professional support as they complete their final year of school and plan for what comes next.
What the QMEA Pathway Offers Students
The Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy is designed to encourage students to enter careers in the minerals and energy sector, providing clear pathways into one of the state’s most innovative and economically important industries. As Australia’s largest industry-led initiative, QMEA bridges education and industry, inspiring students to pursue pathways in the resources sector and STEM fields through innovative programmes that prepare students for future careers and support teachers in delivering engaging STEM education.
Wavell State High School has been a foundation partner school of the QMEA since the academy’s inception in 2005. That two-decade relationship has given Wavell students consistent access to mine site excursions, engineering camps, curriculum-linked forums, industry mentoring and nationally recognised qualifications in resource and infrastructure operations. QMEA Ambassadors, like Zahra, take on additional leadership responsibilities within the programme, representing their school at major industry events and promoting resources and STEM careers to younger students.
The results of the QMEA model are measurable. Female students at QMEA schools who entered a post-school apprenticeship or traineeship did so in the mining industry at almost five times the rate of students from non-QMEA schools. For young women in particular, the combination of industry exposure, mentoring and peer networks that QMEA and WIMARQ provide significantly changes the likelihood of pursuing a career in a sector that has historically underrepresented them.
WIMARQ and the Mentoring Programme
The Women in Mining and Resources Queensland organisation works to attract, retain and advance women across Queensland’s resources sector through advocacy, events and structured mentoring. The WIMARQ Mentoring Program that Zahra participates in pairs selected female Year 12 students with experienced women from the resources industry, creating a direct line of connection between school life and professional careers. For students navigating the transition from Year 12 into university, apprenticeships or employment, that kind of personal guidance from someone already working in the field carries practical value that no classroom programme can replicate.
The International Women’s Day Luncheon and Resources Awards for Women is the centrepiece event of WIMARQ’s annual calendar, drawing senior industry figures and student participants from across Queensland together to recognise excellence and build the networks that sustain women’s participation in the sector over the long term.
Why This Matters to the Wavell Heights Community
For families in Wavell Heights and the surrounding northern Brisbane suburbs, Zahra’s recognition is a reminder that Wavell State High School offers its students access to opportunities that extend well beyond the standard secondary curriculum. The school’s two-decade partnership with the QMEA has opened doors for hundreds of Wavell students into careers in engineering, resources, energy and related STEM fields, and Zahra’s runner-up award is one of the most visible expressions of what that partnership can produce.
For young women in the community who are weighing up their options beyond Year 12, the combination of QMEA membership, WIMARQ mentoring and industry events like the International Women’s Day Luncheon represents a genuine pathway into one of Queensland’s most economically significant sectors. Queensland’s resources sector contributed $116.8 billion to the state economy in the most recent financial year and supports the jobs of more than 532,000 Queenslanders, making the pipeline of skilled graduates into the sector a matter of real economic importance for the state.
Students at Wavell State High School interested in the QMEA programme can speak with their school’s QMEA coordinator, or find more information at qmea.org.au. Information about the WIMARQ Mentoring Program is available at wimarq.com.au.
Published 13-March-2026.
