Katherine is the first Australian woman to be trained as an astronaut by an international space agency.
When I first joined Queenwood as an excited Year 7, I loved that the school motto was the same as NASA’: Per Aspera ad Astra. My time at Queenwood helped impart in me the value of being an all-rounder across topics, and in building both hard and soft skills. These are very relevant to desired characteristics of an astronaut!
During my time at Queenwood, I never questioned that women could pursue whatever passion they chose. For me, the environment of an all-girls school meant that I didn’t feel pressured by any gender norms or perceive any barriers to working in traditionally male-dominated fields or teams.
In Year 8, we were asked to fill a form out for our preferred careers. It says a lot about the school that when I pitched being an astronaut, I wasn’t patronised but rather was set off on the path to learn what that would take. I translated my dreams into goals, then adapted them as I learned more along the way.
Queenwood would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Katherine Bennell-Pegg who was named South Australia’s 2026 Australian of the Year. “Per Aspera Ad Astra”. Read more.
