The lightning strike that inspired a seriously powerful purpose
Sefanit has been asking big questions her whole life. As a child, electricity fascinated her, and she yearned to make it more accessible in her native country of Ethiopia. Sefi’s passion for problem solving has found a home at Powerlink, where her unique perspective is exactly what’s needed at the forefront of the renewable future.
Daring to dream
As five year-old Sefanit gazes out her window at the darkening sky, her eyebrows furrow. “Mum, how did the electricity get up there?” Her young eyes dart around as bolts of lightning crack above her, blindingly bright, then disappearing before her eyes.
“What do you mean, Sefi?” Her mother asks, used to her daughter’s seemingly endless questions. “I don’t see any lines going up there. Where are the cables?”
It didn’t make sense to Sefi how electricity could be up in the sky but not in rural towns in her home country of Ethiopia. When she visited her grandparents in the countryside, her bedtime stories were read by candlelight instead of a lamp, and she would see other children walking to school instead of travelling via bus or car.
“I felt privileged to have so much when other children who had such potential were missing out because they lacked access to the basics like electricity,” Sefi reflects many years later. “I loved maths and science, and I’d always think about how I could put my love for those subjects into helping those kids. I thought, ‘If I study electrical engineering, maybe one day I can find a way to help that region access electricity so those kids can have the same opportunities I had.’ Studying engineering teaches you how to think, how to solve problems. And my dream is to solve that problem.”
As Sefi grew up, so too did her curiosity and thirst for knowledge. Her family moved to New Zealand when she was 14, and then to Brisbane as a late teenager, where she studied a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering. She joined an engineering consultancy as a graduate but felt it lacked the support and large-scale impact she craved. Luckily, she came across an opportunity at Powerlink.
“I started at Powerlink as a Development Engineer, and what they promised in the advertisement was exactly what was delivered. I got so many training opportunities and rotations, and within each rotation, they gave me real projects to work on and made sure I got the support I needed to learn. My final rotation was in the Grid Connections team and I knew it was the place for me, so it was great to have such a supportive team leader who helped set up an interview for me.”
A career that matters
As a Grid Controls Planning Engineer, Sefi is involved in every step of the journey of a new generator on the Powerlink network, from application to commissioning. And because Powerlink deals with so many different types of electricity on such a large scale, each project is a new opportunity to learn.
“Powerlink’s network spans all of Queensland, so you have the full picture that many other engineering firms lack. We work on solar farms, wind farms and batteries, and they all have different technologies with their own issues and ways of addressing them, so you get the kind of learning experiences here that aren’t available anywhere else. It’s exciting, and with the government setting new targets for net zero, it’s push, push, push to get there.”
Sefi’s not one to let big possibilities scare her. With her sights set on a cleaner energy future for all, she loves that the Powerlink team are united in achieving the same purpose and passionate about educating others to join them.
“The environment at Powerlink is much more diverse than other places I've seen. Powerlink supports us to learn from each other and if anyone is interested in being a talent ambassador, they are encouraged to go to schools and universities to speak to students who are interested in engineering. Now is the most exciting time to study engineering, so it’s great that we can share our perspective of the work you can do and what you can accomplish as an engineer at Powerlink.”
Sefi has achieved so much as part of our team, but we’re sure her best is still to come. Her goals are bigger than most, so she values having the support she needs to succeed.
“Powerlink is a great place to grow. My team leader is currently exploring avenues for me to learn further, and one of those would be completing an industry PhD, which the work I do at Powerlink would contribute towards. That’s one of the reasons why I really love working at Powerlink. There are so many opportunities to advance your knowledge, and your team members are happy to invest in you and help you learn.”
Connected to community
Having lived in Australia for more than 16 years, Sefi is proud to call herself a Queenslander and give back to her community by providing sustainable and reliable electricity. She also still feels strongly connected to her home in Ethiopia, having returned to the country in early 2023 for the third time since moving away.
“I actually went back to Ethiopia to get married because my husband and I both have family there. It’s important for me to stay connected to my family and not forget the language or culture. When you know your story, you’re more likely to be successful in the future. But if you forget your identity or values, then it’s easy to feel lost and you lose the opportunity to share that with others.”
Sefi’s story is certainly a powerful reminder that if you understand the past, you can shape the future. And with such a bright future ahead, Sefi looks forward to seeing what new challenges she can find solutions for.
“My main goal is to keep developing professionally, to understand issues and be part of the solution to problems we face in the transmission network. To be part of Powerlink and keep the lights on for all Queenslanders. But I hope someday in the future I can give back and help people in other parts of the world access electricity to fulfil their basic needs in life. That would be very rewarding.”