What did you do directly after school?

After graduation I went to Brisbane for study. It was fun living out of home for the first time, but I would come back to the Sunshine Coast regularly to visit family and friends. Then after I graduated from University, I moved to the Tweed Coast for four years—another beautiful part of the world, similar to the Sunshine Coast but less traffic!

Did you study at University?

I did three degrees and have the HECS debt to show for it! My undergraduate degrees were at the University of Queensland—a dual Bachelor of Economics and Bachelor of Arts. After this I studied a Masters of Teaching. This was with the University of New England, but completed entirely online (apart from practicums and examinations). Having prior experience with distance education really gave me an advantage when my work during COVID pivoted from teaching face-to-face to teaching-via-zoom!

What are you currently doing workwise?

I'm actually working for St Andrew's! I'm thrilled to be the Head of Commerce and Entrepreneurship and teaching a range of classes from 9 Business Studies to 11 Economics. It feels good to be in a position where I can start to give back to the culture which contributed so much to my own development.

What are your long-term goals?

In the long-term I hope to buy a house (paint the walls, plant a garden, etc). I also intend to eventually sail my way up the coast of Australia... so, buying a boat is also in the long-term bucket!

What were your interests during school… sport, music etc and are you still involved?

I played netball and touch football for a lot of high school. Haven't had much time to join team sports in the last few years, unfortunately.

What are your highlights from school, teachers, programs etc?

Chinese class with Ms Baird has to be a highlight - we laughed a lot while struggling with pronunciation and I still make at home some of the recipes we translated! Another highlight was the Year 10 camp. This introduced me not only to the beautiful lakes and bush of the sandy Fraser Island, but also to the hobby of long overnight hiking. I loved it so much I've brought my own gear and done several hikes in the years since.

Do you stay in touch with friends from school?

Yes, I'm still in touch with a few people. Some more than others, as life has taken us in different directions and to different places.

Have you visited the College in recent years and if so what are your thoughts on the new facilities?

I visited the college for both the five year and the ten year class reunions, where I was impressed by the conversion of the concrete space under I-Bock into a stunning theatre and music facility. Now that I'm working at the College, I'm enjoying first-hand the new Learning Hub as an excellent teaching space. And at the start of this year, I was part of supervising the school swimming carnival which took place in the long-awaited school pool! It was great to see the facilities we had only been talking about as students now being actively enjoyed by the next generation.