While the world celebrated International Women’s Day (March 8), Sutherland Shire model Laura Wells, rugged up and continued her mission of empowerment with her fellow female environmental advocates.
Ms Wells is among a group of women touring Antarctica, for a year-long excursion to learn more about the effects of climate change.
On the back of the annual day that celebrated women’s achievements, she gave the Leader an update about her trip so far.
“Antarctica is a wilderness like nothing I have ever experienced,” she said.
“Being surrounded by continuous sea ice sheets is surreal.
“From penguins caring for their offspring, foraging humpback whales, to the mosses growing sparsely between rocks...it’s beautiful.”
Ms Wells says being selected to be part of the world’s largest all-women leadership forum in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine, was unforgettable.
“Learning leadership skills with interesting, intelligent women from 18 diverse countries has been a career highlight for me,” she said.
“Undergoing this program with Antarctica as a backdrop is a stark reminder of the fragility and uniqueness of our planet and why as a collective it is crucial that we work together to create sustainability for all.
“This has given me the tools to understand my own values and mission and how to effectively apply them within my day-to-day life to create the world that I want to see.
“The power, ferocity, vastness and fragility of this continent [makes you realise] that we need to act now in order to preserve it for the future of everyone.”