In recognition of the UN Women Australia's International Women's Day theme for 2023, ‘Cracking the Code: Innovation for a Gender Equal Future’, Loreto Normanhurst will proudly welcome alumnae, Isabella Codsi, to speak with students as part of the school’s 'Super Girl Week' celebrations.

Graduating from Loreto Normanhurst in 2013, Codsi is an accomplished alumnae carving out a career in the technology industry. Her role at a global cloud computing technology company has seen her work alongside Australian businesses to uncover how cloud technology can transform their products and services.

Codsi notes that her role is largely a conversation driven by impact, invention, and growth. Cloud computing is effective in removing many of the traditional barriers to building a business that have disproportionately affected women for so long, with Codsi positively reflecting on the opportunity her role poses.

“I choose to see the big gaps we need to fill for women’s representation in the technology industry as a huge opportunity. Massive demand for digital skills in the Australian economy presents us with the chance to upskill women in new technologies quickly and deliberately, accelerating a whole new generation of influential leaders into equal partnership in this highly impactful field,” said Codsi.

It is this thinking that Codsi will share when she returns to Loreto Normanhurst on Wednesday 8 March to speak at assembly. The assembly is a key event in Super Girl Week, a significant community event planned and facilitated by the school’s Student Representative Council (SRC).

Super Girl Week seeks to inspire students to unite with passion and embrace their power as girls, including the real strength and ability that every girl has and their courage to overcome obstacles. Against the backdrop of this year’s International Women's Day theme, Super Girl Week underscores the paramount importance of innovation and creative thinking in advancing towards a gender-equal future.

Marina Ugonotti, Principal and Lynn Long, Deputy Principal with Isabella Codsi and Loreto Normanhurst students

For future female leaders in STEM, cracking the code plays a pivotal role in propelling women's knowledge and expertise in these fields to new heights. It is imperative that young women embrace modern technology and maintain the unwavering determination to succeed to make waves for women in STEM industries.

Drawing on her career progression that has led to a role in a male-dominated industry, Codsi hopes to inspire and empower students with a sense of awareness of the opportunities available to women who are interested in a career in STEM.

Codsi continues, “this is an opportunity to remind the students that nobody loses if we believe that we can change the world. I sometimes joke that growing up in my family outnumbered by three brothers prepared me very well for a career in technology, as we certainly still see a major representation gap for women in technology. Despite this, I believe that in privileged spaces, the right for a woman to have a seat at the table is known. Now, we fight for more seats, and for the ability to speak up louder at that table without being assumed to be ‘too much’ or ‘too aggressive’”.

Reflecting fondly on her schooling experience at Loreto Normanhurst, Codsi defines her education as the launchpad to fast tracking her into a world where she didn’t doubt her own worth. Instead, she could get straight to work on proving this worth to others.

“My time at Loreto Normanhurst instilled a sense of quiet discontent, agitating myself and fellow students to convert our education into action for others. It was the desire for impact that led me to first investigate a career in technology.”

"When I learned that the technology field was seeking a different kind of teacher to help spread the word about cloud computing, I became interested in what it might look like to put an arts student’s brain and primary school teacher’s heart into the big corporate tech machine,” said Codsi.

Speaking to Codsi’s return and the excitement of Super Girl Week events, Loreto Normanhurst Principal, Marina Ugonotti said:

“Isabella is a shining example of a young woman taking her Loreto education and making a mark on the world around her. We are thrilled she will return as part of our Super Girl Week celebrations to expose students to current gender-based injustices, inspire students to pursue their dreams and harness the creative thinking needed to work towards an equitable future. Equality and diversity, particularly enhanced female representation, is fundamental to the ethos of our Loreto Normanhurst community.”

Loreto Normanhurst Supergirl Week will feature an array of thought-provoking events and workshops from Monday 6th March, with Codsi to attend as a key speaker on International Women’s Day (8th March).

The evening of Wednesday, 8 March will also see Loreto Normanhurst host the annual Women of Influence event. The event will unite a panel of Loreto Normanhurst alumnae as they reflect on their Loreto education and how this has helped shape their lives and careers. This year’s alumnae guest speakers include Kate Eastman AM SC ('84), Sarah Martin (Kinchington, '82), Heather Marano ('03) and Leana Scott ('18).