Meet a ShoalGrad – Sarah Whitehouse

Your opportunity to meet one of our ShoalGrads. Sarah Whitehouse shared her story and thoughts about our program.

ShoalGrad year 2

”I chose Shoal’s Graduate Program because the people that I talked to throughout the interview process – be it a graduate, or someone higher up in the company – made the time to talk about their experiences, and answer any questions I had to the best of their ability. This is something which stood out for me compared to other job applications I had been through. In addition, the work was within my area of interest (Modelling and Simulation), with the possibility to try different types of work throughout the graduate program to gain a broader and more holistic experience.

Being a Graduate Modelling and Simulation Analyst at Shoal, I have been given the opportunity to work within both the Space and Defence domains. In both avenues I have gained experience applying systems thinking to various projects, modelling a range of systems, and conducting and analysing different types of simulations. The projects within the Decision Support Analytics business unit have also incorporated a level of research which I was not expecting to find outside of the academic sphere. Outside of the technical skills, I have been given the opportunity to learn and practice soft skills, such as communication techniques and leadership skills.

One of my favourite things about the Graduate Program is having a group of peers who have gone through the process and are available to ask questions and work through any problems together. It has provided a sense of community and a safe space to ask questions which can sometimes feel like assumed knowledge when first starting out. The team (both within the Graduate Program and within my projects) are always very supportive and collaborative, always willing to help or direct me to those who may have experience in whatever I am trying to figure out.

Overall, the people I have worked with and learned from through my time at Shoal have helped to build a solid foundation for the start of my career, and I feel very lucky to be able to be a part of the Shoal community.”

Sarah Whitehouse
Graduate Modelling and Simulation Analyst

Find out more about our graduate program, ShoalGrad, here.