How the i3 Program Sparked Students’ Passion for STEM
POSTED December 11 2025 , News, Parents & Community
Student reflection
I didn’t expect a school program to make me rethink how real-world problems are solved, but the i3 program did exactly that. Before Year 10, we’d all taken part in group assignments, although they previously included splitting tasks and completing the work separately. Now I know what it means to work as part of a group. It means listening, problem-solving, and building something bigger than any of us could have done alone.
At the start of the year, our group came together with a range of different skill sets. We wondered how we’d be able to work together with our diverse interests. Little did we know, we’d go on to win the entire competition. What we learnt about cohesive teamwork will carry through to our professional lives and beyond. We not only learnt to work in a team, but we also developed as individuals. We became more curious, ambitious and adaptable. While challenges did come our way, together we were able to work through them and learned to embrace them.
The i3 program helped us to embrace feedback as essential data points for our development. We always took feedback on to ultimately improve our final product. We saw this as one of the program’s principal enrichment opportunities.
Before the i3 program, none of us had worked extensively on technology projects. i3 enabled us to feel comfortable learning about technology and its extensive uses. We can all now say with certainty that STEM is an industry we would love to further explore in our professional lives.
As the 2025 winners, we were given the incredible opportunity to visit Bankwest’s Corporate Offices, where we enjoyed lunch and presented our app idea, Cradel, to Bankwest representatives. Following lunch, we were given an exclusive tour of Fortescue’s HIVE Remote Operations Centre, giving us a first-hand look at the cutting-edge technology and innovation in the mining industry. It was fascinating to see the creativity with which Fortescue control its mine sites.
We were able to meet and speak with some of the people who helped improve and facilitate i3, and it was inspiring to see how passionate they were about the program. They helped us deepen our knowledge of women in STEM and empowered us to think about our futures and the opportunities available to us. Opportunities we wouldn’t have had without the skills and experience gained through the i3 program. We are in awe of how effectively it approaches and develops indispensable workplace skills.
Article written by winning team member Jade (Year 10)