ALUMNI & CAREERS
Term 3
Alumni News
Psychology students hear from alumni panel
On Thursday 14 July 2022, all VCE Psychology classes had the opportunity to meet alumni (past WHC students) who envelop their lives in the world of psychology.
We spoke to Phuong Quach (Class of 2017) who is a provisional psychologist completing a Masters in organisational psychology, Chelle Taylor (Class of 1990) who runs a business specialising in trauma and attachment disruption, and Jaimie Bellaart (Class of 2013) who’s a provisional psychologist, behaviour support specialist and developmental coach.
The alumni are in different stages of their careers and work in different fields. Chelle works with children up to five years old and their families, Jaimie enjoys working with teens and young adults, while Phuong specialises in helping organisations become better places to work.
They busted some myths and also discussed the many other career pathways that psychology students can follow. “If it’s human, it is psychology,” Jaimie said, explaining how truly broad a psychology career can be.
“Throughout their discussions with class, they shared the privilege of being a psychologist with us and how rewarding a job it is, how learning about these intriguing careers even helped them understand themselves on a personal level.” – Y11 student Sienna McCalman.
“I think it was very valuable for the students. All of the students that I spoke with afterwards told me that it was worthwhile and one in particular found it very illuminating and told me that it was the best group of alumni talks he has attended.” – Psychology teacher Sandra Ritonja.
“They worked so well together and were very similar in the immense amount of work they love to do and how they approach their professional careers and life in general. It is a testament to who they all are as people and clearly why they were also recognised as leaders during their time at WHC. Once again it really affirmed the important work that we do as teachers and highlighted the impact that we have. Something that we often forget. I personally appreciated hearing from alumni who are strong women that are extremely passionate about the important work they do with and for people, and especially enjoyed their reflections on why they chose to work in what I feel is a very challenging yet rewarding field.” – Brenna Loe, psychology teacher who also taught Phuong.
We would like to thank Chelle, Jaimie and Phuong for taking time out of their busy schedules to spend the afternoon “paying it forward” as role models to our current students.
Sienna McCalman, Year 11Jennifer Chiu, Alumni Program Coordinator
WHC Graduate Jack Herd (Class of 2014) is pleased to announce that he is going to be exhibiting his first ever solo art exhibition “Obsessions”. The exhibition looks into the past 8 years’ worth of artworks that Jack has been working on since finishing high school and going on to university studies. The exhibition is being hosted by Shearer’s Arms Gallery, the home of the Geelong Art Society and where Jack first exhibited back in 2014 as part of that year’s Geelong VCE Arts show. All in the WHC community are welcome to come down during this time to have a look and enjoy this quirky but pivotal moment in Jack’s life, both artistically and personally. Jack also highly encourages current VCE arts students regardless of subject to come down and have a look and see a glimpse into the world of contemporary art, and one from the lens of a former WHC student at that. For more details, feel free to follow Jack on social media and keep up-to-date with the latest in his endeavours.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jack_herd_artist/ (jack_herd_artist)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jackherdartistgeelong/
Western Heights College Day Out – save the date!
You’re invited to join our inaugural Western Heights College Day Out on Sunday 16 October.
We’re excited to open up the school gates to current and past communities of Western Heights College/Secondary College and our foundation schools: Bell Park High School, Bell Park Secondary College/Technical School and Geelong West Technical School.
The day will include a walkathon, school tours, entertainment, food and stalls from our wider school community. For the walkathon, you’ll be able to form teams with your year level, extended family, foundation school, house, school sports team, or wherever your imagination takes you.
We’d love for you to invite your friends and family along for the day too, so please save the date, check out our Facebook event page (https://fb.me/e/2uk5mY0Sb) for updates and start getting your team together.
Proceeds from the Western Heights College Day Out will go towards ensuring the future of the Alumni Program. Our program is currently run by Ourschool, an education charity, and from next year, the program will be handed over to Western Heights, which means we’ll have to find the funds to employ a dedicated part-time staff member to continue our work of informing and inspiring students.
If you’d like to get involved as a stallholder or musician, or can offer any other support, please email alumni@whc.vic.edu.au
More details to come, including links to sign up and get involved. We look forward to welcoming you all to a fun day out!
Jennifer Chiu | Alumni Program Coordinator
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
