ALUMNI TALKS
Alumni are role models for current students. We have opportunities for alumni to share their insights with our students, where they can gain invaluable knowledge about future pathways.
Your presence, skills, or advice can have a lasting impact on our students. If you have a profession or skill you think could be valuable for McKinnon Secondary College students, please get in touch with us. Contact Melanie Lynch via email thistle@mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au or connect with us via our social media accounts.
FUTURE SELF SEMINAR
On Thursday 3 July, our Year 10 students participated in an enriching program that provided valuable learning opportunities. The Future Self Seminars gave students insight into the upcoming work experience program.
We were fortunate to welcome back alumni guest panelists Jocelyn Henry (Class of 2012), Megan Maya (Class of 2013) and Jhai Manogaran (Class of 2013), who generously shared their career journeys and answered questions from our students.
We extend our sincere thanks to our panelists for returning to McKinnon to inspire the next generation.
JASON XANTHOUDAKIS (CLASS OF 1992)
We were honoured to welcome back McKinnon alumni Jason Xanthoudakis (Class of 1992), who performed a captivating classical saxophone recital for our students.
Since graduating from McKinnon, Jason has built an impressive career as an award-winning musician, studying at Melbourne University, the Victorian College of the Arts, Monash University, and the Sydney Conservatorium. He has performed with major Australian orchestras, including the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria, and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, as well as in solo recitals and concerto appearances.
Jason is also a dedicated advocate for contemporary music, having arranged over 50 works for saxophone and clarinet, and over 20 works have been dedicated to him. His work has been featured on ABC Classic FM and in live broadcasts across Australia.
It was a privilege to have Jason return to McKinnon to share his talent and experience with our students. Learn more about his work here: https://www.jasonxan.com/about
MISHA MACHLAK (CLASS OF 2015)
Our Year 12 Physics students were fortunate to have guest speakers discuss careers in meteorology during Science Week in August.
We were absolutely delighted to welcome back past student Misha Machlak (Class of 2015), who generously gave his time to share insights on his career pathway and reflect on his experiences at McKinnon.
Alongside his work in meteorology, Misha remains deeply involved in music, having conducted ensembles such as the Glen Eira Youth Orchestra and the Victorian Youth Symphony Orchestra.
OWEN LANCELOT (CLASS OF 2020)
Owen Lancelot (Class of 2020) returned to share his inspiring story with our Year 11 cohort.
Owen has overcome significant health challenges and is now an Ambassador for Colitis Australia. Earlier this year he took on the ULTRA TRAIL Blue Mountains Ultramarathon, a 100km race he ran while wearing an ostomy bag.
Owen is a remarkable example of McKinnon’s values of integrity and resilience. We are so proud of you Owen.
TOM EARLS (CLASS OF 2012)
We love hearing how our McKinnon Alumni are going out in the wild! It's even better when they come back. Tom Earls (Class of 2012) recently visited McKinnon to deliver a passionate and informative session on bees, sustainability and the environment. He joined year 10 & 11 Outdoor & Environmental Studies and Sustainability Group Students on Friday the 30th of May for his session that included tasting honey and making candles from beeswax.
Tom is a passionate beekeeper and native bee educator. He has a love for identifying different varieties of wildflowers and you can often find him running to the waves for a surf after a long day spent working with over 500,000 honeybees. After learning the gentle art form of beekeeping whilst travelling overseas, Tom founded Coastal Nectar to raise awareness of the importance of his favourite pollinators…The BEES!!!
Tom then joined students and staff to help put over 100 plants indigenous to our area in the ground as part of our Reconciliation Week activities and was impressed with the biodiversity being included on campus that will support pollinators as well as native birds.
Check out Tom's start-up Coast Nectar, and keep an eye out for his short film 'Beehives and Bottom Turns' which recently won a film festival award. Very cool Tom, very cool.
MORGAN SMITHE (CLASS OF 2012)
As part of our Law Week celebrations, Morgan Smithe (Class of 2012) returned to McKinnon to speak with the next generation of aspiring lawyers — and to reconnect with her former Legal Studies teacher, Mrs Masterson.
Morgan was a passionate and hard-working Legal Studies student in Year 12. She went on to complete an Arts/Law degree at Monash University, graduating with Honours in 2019.
She is now an employment lawyer at Russell Kennedy Lawyers, working almost exclusively with clients in the independent education sector. As a result, Morgan has extensive experience in many aspects of school law, including discrimination matters, policy writing, and student safety.
Thank you, Morgan, for taking the time to speak with our students. It was an engaging session that provided valuable insight into the legal profession and potential career paths.
JOHN PAUL SUNTOSO (CLASS OF 2023)
John Paul Suntoso (Class of 2023) is currently studying Architecture. He generously volunteered his time to run an informal session aimed at helping Unit 3/4 Visual Communication Design students develop rapid prototyping skills to visualise building and environment concepts.
Using readily available materials such as cardboard and paper, students learned how to model topography and apply a range of techniques to cut, score, fold and glue with accuracy.
Thank you for coming back to share your knowledge and inspire our students.
