Alumni Program
Koonung Secondary College
ALUMNA SPOTLIGHT
Asumi Daily
Class of 2005
Prosthetist/Orthotist at the Royal Children's Hospital, and Sessional Academic at La Trobe University
Where has life taken you since graduating from Koonung?
After graduation, I completed my Bachelor of Podiatry at La Trobe University. However, once I began working as a Podiatrist, I realised that it was not the right career for me. I then decided to go back to university and completed my Master of Clinical Prosthetics and Orthotics. After spending 2-months each in Alice Springs and Germany on a scholarship in my final year, I absolutely fell in love with all things biomechanics and design. I now work as a paediatric prosthetist/orthotist and have recently immersed myself in clinical research and academia (teaching the 1st year students).
What memorable experiences or achievements have shaped your life since finishing / graduating from Koonung?
My most memorable achievement has been publishing my research on orthotic management for children with cerebral palsy in an international academic journal as well as presenting my work at the Australian Orthotic Prosthetic Association national congress. I have also recently enjoyed volunteering as a guest lecturer for our south pacific island medical colleagues on paediatric orthotic management.
What does your job involve?
I assess a child’s functional or movement deficit, whether that is neurological (i.e. foot drop/spasticity) or orthopaedic (i.e. a bone that has not formed properly). Then in collaboration with the child and their family, we design, fabricate, and fit an orthosis or prosthesis, so they can achieve their goals.
My day-to-day life as a clinician is varied. It involves a mixture of consulting in multidisciplinary clinics with medical, nursing, and other allied health professionals, triaging referrals, seeing outpatient and inpatient orthotic and prosthetic patients, student supervision and participating in clinical research.
What do you most enjoy about your work?
I enjoy the rewards and challenges associated with working with children as well as their unique paediatric specific presentations. Working at a specialist tertiary hospital, we often see quite complex presentations. I love thinking outside the box and using my skills to assist children so they can participate in activities that are meaningful to them.
What skills or qualities are important in your line of work?
Being adaptable to changing clinical situations and being able to communicate clearly on multiple levels (such as age-appropriate communication with a young child versus communicating using medical terminology with a doctor).
What are your favourite memories of your time at Koonung?
My two favourite memories would be being a senior house captain and attending the year 11 biology camp.
How would you describe yourself as a school student?
Probably a mixture of academic, sporty, and musical.
When you were a student at Koonung, what did you imagine you would do for a career?
Something in health.
If you could go back & give advice to your school aged teenage self, what would that be?
Always be kind and believe in yourself. Focus on your goals, put in the hard work and you will be rewarded in the end.
ALUMNI: WE WOULD LOVE TO FEATURE YOU IN AN ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT.
Koonung Secondary College alumni spotlights showcase the various pathways our alumni have taken since graduating from Koonung and the professions they are currently pursuing.
We feature these on our school website (image below), in our school newsletter, and on our social media pages (with your prior approval, of course).
If you’d like to get involved, please email our Alumni Program Coordinator at alumni@koonung.vic.edu.au OR complete the online ‘Alumni Spotlight’ form HERE.
ARE YOU AN ALUMNI OF KOONUNG?
If you are a Koonung alumni (went to or graduated from Koonung Secondary College), we would love you to join our alumni program. It's FREE to join.
FOLLOW THE ALUMNI PROGRAM ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
ARE YOU AN ALUMNI ON LinkedIn?
If so, we’d love you to please update the education section of your LinkedIn profile to include the correct Koonung Secondary College LinkedIn page. Our college LinkedIn page now includes an ‘alumni’ tab, and once you've added Koonung Secondary College to the education section of your personal profile, you will be added to the alumni stats on our official LinkedIn page. We'd be so grateful for this! See image below for reference.
KOONUNG PARTNERS WITH OURSCHOOL TO DELIVER ALUMNI PROGRAM
The alumni program at Koonung Secondary College is part of a broader, not-for-profit program called Ourschool (https://ourschool.net.au/).
Ourschool helps government secondary schools build thriving alumni networks to benefit current students and school communities. Koonung began it's partnership with Ourschool in 2022.
Click on the link below to view a video of the Ourschool CEO talking about the program.
CONTACT US.
Koonung Secondary College
Alumni Program - Nancy Manders