7 minute read
Wilderness Women Leading the Way
WILDERNESS WOMEN
LEADING THE WAY
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Wilderness School is proud to be able to celebrate the success of all our past and present students and the many outstanding achievements of our Wildy women. Leading the Way offers our community insight into some of our amazing old scholars’ lives, beyond the Wilderness School gates.
The following past students kindly participated in the panel discussion at our Welcome to WOSA Year 12 Breakfast held last October.
Inspired by their advice and experiences, we decided to ask them a few more questions.
Lily McBain
Class of 2017
Growing up with a parent in the media, from a young age I developed an interest in all forms of media viewing it as an exciting career with no two days alike. In my final year of school on the eve of my first Year 12 assignment’s due date I decided I couldn’t possibly start the assignment (yes, start) until I had my 5-year plan figured out. In hindsight this was an obvious procrastination move, however it helped me figure out an end goal to aim for. I sat down at my desk and decided to research every possible degree that sounded interesting to me. I ended up landing on a Bachelor of Media at Adelaide University and while simultaneously scrolling through my Instagram feed and looking at Roxy Jacenko’s life my aspirations of being in Public Relations came to light. While none of my initial goals went to plan, I learnt that flexibility is crucial and you can’t plan every detail of your life. I was accepted into my first preference degree at Adelaide University elated that I would have the opportunity to have lunch with my friends and see people I already knew every day. The reality of choosing a degree based on convenience was something I soon learned wasn’t the best idea and on the first day of my second year I realised my degree wasn’t taking me where I needed to go. I decided to transfer universities and degrees and begin a new journey at UniSA studying a Bachelor of Journalism and Professional Writing, majoring in Social Media.
My career came about by chance. I started as a bartender working for my family’s hotel group and after learning the basic skills of pouring a beer and taking orders, I moved hotels and started working at The Kentish Hotel in North Adelaide. My role of in-house marketing fitted in perfectly with my degree in professional writing and social media and slowly under the amazing guidance of a female manager, an industry that had always looked so male dominated suddenly didn’t. Slowly growing my skills and learning more about the hospitality industry I grew my portfolio to feature another hotel and then another. Currently I personally work with three hotels around South Australia and have created my own business in marketing hotels and creating content in the form of social media, websites, in-house menus and promotions and events.
Words I try to remember as much as possible are to take every opportunity that comes your way and give everyone the same respect you wish to have. It is easier to be kind to someone than it is to be mean. I know that I never want to wake up one day regretting not meeting with someone over a possible job or never responding to an email which could have led to something. The most important thing you have is your name in life and the way people remember you. The impression you leave on them speaks volumes of your character. What have been some key defining moments in your career and life?
A defining moment for me and one that helped guide my career was my love for leadership, being fortunate enough to be Cedar House Captain in 2017 taught me just how much of a perfectionist I am and how much I march to the beat of my own drum. Therefore when beginning my career, I knew I had what it took to be my own leader and start up my own business.
Favourite professional memory/day?
While my career is young, my favourite memory so far is my first major event for The Kentish Hotel. Together with the Hotel Manager we created a sellout World Gin Day event called ‘For the love of Gin’. Hosting five distilleries and over 200 people thinking of strategies to compete with other businesses hosting similar events proved to be one of my biggest learning opportunities and to this day is something I often refer back to when content planning with new clients.
‘Your talent determines what you can do. Your motivation determines how much you are willing to do. Your attitude determines how well you do it.’
Isabelle Greco
Class of 2017
I can remember loving maths as early as Year 4, when I got home from school after learning how to divide fractions and proceeded to spend the rest of the afternoon picking random fractions and dividing them! It wasn’t until quite late in Year 12, however, that upon the encouragement of my phenomenal maths teachers, I applied for a scholarship to study maths at the University of Adelaide. I’m currently studying an advanced maths degree with a Diploma in Languages (focusing on French – thank you Madame!) and honestly could not have imagined the incredible opportunities in Adelaide and beyond this would lead to.
As corny as this sounds, trust yourself. Going to Wilderness is going to be the most phenomenal launching board for the rest of your life, so long as you’re willing to jump. I know it’s scary – trust me, I picked this piece of advice because I often need to remind myself of this, but you are so genuinely incredible. As a mathematician in the making, I can tell you that whatever leap you’re contemplating and whatever opportunity you’re considering, I am 100% confident that you are going to be brilliant. Trust yourself and make that jump!
At the ancient age of 21 it does feel a bit weird to talk about defining moments in my life! If I had to pick something, it would be the very start of uni. Although I didn’t know it at the time, among the people I was meeting were my best friends, mentors, and support crew for years to come, all of whom would have a profoundly awesome impact on my life. I also think getting my first maths-related internship was a pretty important moment – alone in a new city with a ‘proper’ job I actually felt almost like an adult!
Lydia Li
Class of 2019
Favourite professional memory/day?
This year I was lucky enough to be a keynote speaker at an inspiring women in technology conference run by the Institute of Engineering and Technology. Although I will admit I felt very out of my depth on a panel with Members of Parliament and C-suite professionals, the experience of getting to speak to and with such an incredible group of people was phenomenal, and the kind feedback I received afterwards absolutely blew me away. Definitely an example of trusting myself enough to take up a crazy opportunity that paid off.
My favourite quote, and some advice I need to heed more often, comes from Newt Scamander in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: ‘Worrying means you suffer twice.’ Admittedly, easier said than done, but something important to remember, particularly at the moment! What ignited your passion for your career choice? Can you describe your journey?
I am a winemaking student from the University of Adelaide, and I have noticed that many of my Asian friends, including myself, go very red when consuming alcohol. To alleviate the embarrassment of Asian flush, I have started my online business of selling a transdermal patch that reduces the effect of Asian flush when the lockdown started this year. I have always wanted to start my own business and the lockdown gave me the perfect opportunity to not only work on my university tasks but also to spend a lot of time on my business. Perseverance was the key reason why I was able to start a new business shortly after I graduated from high school while attending university. From contacting overseas manufacturers to learning how to build an e-commerce website, as well as how to do online marketing, I had to do everything myself. Many steps in the process of bringing the new business to real life were challenging but I never gave up when I was facing difficulties. Just like Kim Namjoon (RM), the leader of BTS, has said: ‘Life is a sculpture that you cast as you make mistakes and learn from them.’
Learn from mistakes and never give up. Bit by bit you can achieve all your dreams.
