Where are they now?

Fiona (Minchen) Hu (2016)

My journey in Australia started at Carey. The supportive attitude among all the teachers and students enabled me to develop my confidence. Carey gave me a sense of belonging as a new international student in a foreign environment. The positive and inclusive atmosphere helped to strengthen the bond between me and the local community, which is what I’d hoped for when I came to Australia, and something I now try to work towards for other international students who are new to Australia.

What I valued most at Carey was the equal opportunity presented to every student. It allowed me to develop my skills in public speaking, which eventually led to me choosing my current career path. I was given the opportunity to be the first international student to present the opening address for Speech Night, which is something I am grateful for to this day. My teachers saw my potential and helped me develop it, and I have since pursued communications in university: I am studying a Bachelor of Marketing and Bachelor of Journalism at Monash University. The insight I have gained into marketing and media strategies and has helped inform my work with the OCGA, where I recently joined as an international alumni co-ordinator for Young Carey Alumni.

Outside university, I work as a freelance Emcee, having hosted the NBA Fan Meeting for Eric Gordon in Melbourne and the media conference for TVB Australia. I also hold a close connection with the Chinese community based in Australia. I was a project leader in the Victorian Chinese Student and Scholar Association, with the aim of facilitating stronger connections between Chinese students and Australian society. I always love working with different people with different backgrounds, life experiences and perspectives, because I believe diversity is something to be celebrated, embraced, and learned from.

Sofia Levin (2007)

During my time at Carey, my curiosity was truly nurtured. English was my strongest subject and I’m an incessant question asker, so it makes sense that I ended up a food and travel journalist.

I recall pouring my heart into a project on Dian Fossey in Year 4, reading a poem on stage in assembly in Year 6 (thrilled at my use of the word ‘fastidious’), writing creatively under Ben Harrison’s tuition in Middle School and then analytically under Steve Beck’s in Senior School. I wrote my way into winning both the Art and Legal Studies prizes in my final year, despite having neither the best art nor the greatest understanding of law. Carey taught me that words – in particular the ability to wrap someone up in a story – are power.

I went on to study at Monash University as a Dean’s Scholar, majoring in psychology and journalism. It was peak GFC, and veteran journalists were being scooped into redundancies. I decided to give the industry a crack on my own. In second year I started a now-defunct food blog that acted as a portfolio when I approached editors. Those relationships ignited my career. I’ve been self-employed since. I write for Good Food, SBS Food, Domain Review, Lonely Planet, National Geographic, Broadsheet and many more. I recently launched my own project, seasonedtraveller.com. It’s the embodiment of my mission to Eat Curiously, to encourage people to learn more about other cultures through food by sharing the stories of those behind it.

I still feel incredibly connected to Carey. My father was a ‘Carey Fairy’, my youngest brother graduated a couple of years ago and my best friend from Junior School now goes by Ms Cameron in the same classrooms we grew up in.

Our school song starts with ‘Schools there are many…’, but I’m glad I only ever knew one.

Eddie Hebbard (2014)

Eddie Hebbard attended Carey from Prep in 2002 until Year 12. During his years at Carey, Eddie received significant support from the School and the Carey community to assist him in receiving and participating in an inclusive mainstream education despite his diagnosis of severe autism.

From Years 7 to 12, Eddie participated in a work experience program at Carey designed to allow him to practise practical skills he may need in the future, while attending homeschool for other areas of the curriculum. He volunteered in the library, had drum lessons, did woodwork and metal work, and helped out in the Junior School garden and the food technology department.

After finishing school, Eddie has continued, with support from his educators, carers and teachers, to utilise and further develop these skills in many community settings. Eddie spends 20 hours each week engaging in various voluntary work activities. At Carey, he works in the libraries, the copy room, the Junior School and the food technology department. He also works voluntarily, with support, at the Balwyn Community Centre undertaking a variety of activities and in the kitchen at the Sycamore Tree Café in Heidelberg.

He also has the continued support of university students, qualified teachers and educators who assist with his care at home, including his home program, his inclusion out in the community and the provision of large amounts of exercise. Eddie’s home program is designed to cater for his individual and changing needs and involves 55 hours of one-on-one care, targeted activities and interaction every week. Eddie enjoys LEGO and Meccano construction activities every day and loves to do quite intricate painting-by-numbers. During his relaxation time, Eddie likes to walk along the Anniversary Trail with his carers, saying ‘Hi’ to all the Carey friends he encounters. He also loves to walk the Studley Park track, along the Yarra River, The Tan and the Thousand Steps.

In March this year, Eddie was awarded a Jagajaga Community Volunteer Award for his voluntary contributions to the Sycamore Tree Café, presented by The Hon. Kate Thwaites (pictured).