"We had to write a story about what we wanted to be when we grow up and I said I wanted to play basketball for Australia ... there were these role models, it was possible from you could get from Ballarat to the Australian Olympic team," she said.

Ms Stevens, who grew up in Wendouree, was this week honoured with an Order of Australia Medal in the Queen's Birthday Honours list for her service to information technology and women.

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While she has since hung up her sneakers, Ms Stevens looks back at the hopes of her younger self with the take-away 'you can't be what you can't see'.

"Did I ever think I'd do this? Absolutely not. I didn't even know that this job, or some of the things that I've done are possible and showing kids that ... that's the power of role models - I think that it allows them to dream big," she said.

Over a global career spanning nearly 30 years as an technology consultant, Ms Stevens has become that role model for women and girls in her industry.

She is the board Chair of Robogals Global, an international not-for-profit volunteer organisation aiming to engage young women in STEM education and careers, and ambassador for Girl Geek Academy, a global movement encouraging women to learn technology, create startups and build more of the internet.

"If I think about science, technology, engineering and maths, those things are such a huge part of the world that we live in ... it's really important the people that are building it and the people that are running it represent the communities that we live in," she said.

"We need the diversity in STEM, because it is literally building the world that we live in."

Ms Stevens most recent accolade is one in a long list, which includes in being named as one of the Australian Financial Review's 100 Women of Influence in 2018, and the 2020 Women in Industry Mentor of the Year.

She was also invited to meet The Queen in recognition of her work.

Of all her achievements, Ms Stevens said what makes her most proud is mentoring and leading the way for other women in tech.

"Being a woman in technology, which is a male dominated field, it's a hard path and I want to make it easier for others to be able to move into, have great careers in technology and move into the kind of roles like I've had," she said.

"Finding ways to help others, to enable them, to open up opportunities for them ... that is what I'm proud of, that motivates me to keep doing it."

As for basketball? Ms Stevens returned to cheer her son on when he played in Ballarat last week.

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