Sharing their journey Student Futures

BY IAN ROBERTSON, ALUMNI MANAGER

Recently the School welcomed 28 alumni ranging from the Class of 2006 to the Class of 2019 to our first Student Futures Alumni Industry Panel event. These Korovians generously volunteered their time to share their university and career journeys with our Year 11 and 12 students, with two even appearing via video link from New South Wales and Germany.

The Korovians represented eight key industry areas which formed the basis of the panels' discussions. These industries were specifically selected based on our students’ interests: Allied Health, Arts, Commerce/ Business, Design/Media, Engineering/Science, Fine Arts, Law, and Medicine. Students then had the opportunity to attend three panel discussions during the event, finishing with an afternoon tea in the Ivory Café. This provided an opportunity for students to engage further with our Korovians and ask questions.

The students gained a great insight as the Korovians told them how they navigated the journey from school to the tertiary sector and then on into their chosen careers. The honesty of the panel speakers was appreciated by the students, as was the message that students should choose subjects and future courses based on their own interests and not others’ expectations. They also shared with students that careers are not linear – they can take unexpected turns and that it is okay to change your mind.

The Korovians were such an impressive group who exemplified the diversity of our alumni experience, something we value along with the authenticity of the Korowa graduate.

Read more about some of our alumni from each industry.

Engineering and Science

Jenny Croft (Class of 2015) completed a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Media and Communications and Sociology at The University of Melbourne. She then went on to complete a Diploma of Informatics at The University of Melbourne. She travelled to the UK where she studied Computer Science at the University of Sheffield. It is here that she was introduced to data, AI and sound processing. Currently, she is working at Telstra as a Software Engineer leading the design of technical projects. Since 2022, Jenny has been a committee member of Women In Software Engineering (WISE) at Telstra, and a creator of a Social Coding Club at Telstra whose core message is to uplift women and their allies through tech.

Commerce/Business

Alex Neilson (Class of 2008) completed a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in French and German and Master of Marketing Communications at The University of Melbourne. She then took on an internship with Stage Two where she was responsible for producing content for social media channels, managing community engagement and coordinating the brand influencer program. Alex then worked for Quiksilver and Red Bull as the Brand Manager. She is currently in Sydney working as the Senior Marketing Manager for Squarespace, looking after the strategic marketing efforts in Australia and New Zealand.

Allied Health

Mikhala Howells (Class of 2013) completed a Bachelor of Nursing and a Bachelor of Psychological Science at Deakin University in 2017 before furthering her studies with a Post Graduate Diploma of Mental Health Nursing (2019) and Masters of Mental Health Nursing at RMIT (2023). She worked as a registered psychiatric nurse from 2018 – 2022 at St Vincent’s Hospital. From 2022, Mikhala has ventured into education, moving into the role of Clinical Nurse Educator at St Vincent’s, and working as a Sessional Academic/Tutor at Deakin University.

Arts

Emma Anvari (Class of 2017) is a final-year Bachelor of Laws (Honours)/ Arts (Journalism) student at Monash University. Her passion for journalism ignited in her first year, leading to five internships with major news outlets such as the Herald Sun, The Age, and Fashion Journal. Emma's extensive professional portfolio includes roles at 'Mojo News' as a reporter (2018-2022) and various editorial and leadership positions. She skillfully merged her journalism and law interests while working as Deputy Law Guide Editor and Editor/Producer for Monash Law Student Society's Careers Classified podcast.

Design and Media

Emma Dale (Baldwin, Class of 2010) completed a Bachelor of Communication Design at Monash University. Emma has worked in various roles within the design industry, for both agencies and in-house teams, which has helped to refine her expertise in branding, creative direction and management skills. She is currently working as Design Director at Dave Clark Design, where she was responsible for launching an in-house creative agency for ANZ.

Fine Arts

Nikola Gucciardo, (Class of 2018) completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Music Theatre) at the Victorian Academy of the Arts (VCA) at The University of Melbourne. This course has entrance by audition only with only 20 students selected each year. Nikola is currently represented by Acting Agency and has worked as a Chaperone/Dresser at the Regent Theatre Melbourne for Commercial Musical Theatre. She also leads workshops with Antipodes Theatre Company.

Law

Ariella Gordon (Class of 2013) completed an Arts/Law double degree at Monash University, before completing a Master of Law at Cambridge University in the UK. She has then gone on to complete a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice at the Australian National University (ANU) and is currently a PhD Candidate (Law) at Cambridge University. She is working as an Associate to the Honourable Justice Kenny at the Federal Court of Australia and Chairperson of the AEC. She also works as a Teaching Associate at Deakin University and Monash University in Constitutional, Administrative and Criminal Law.

Medical

Bridget Toussaint (Class of 2019) completed a Bachelor of Biomedical Science at Deakin University majoring in Infection and Immunity. She is currently undertaking a Bachelor of Biomedicine degree with Honours at The University of Melbourne in conjunction with St Vincent’s Department of Medicine, Centre of Eye Research Australia (CERA) in Ophthalmic Surgery. Her Honours research is focused on Corneal Tissue Engineering.