Alumni

Swinburne Senior Secondary College’s alumni program is now one year old. The program is part of a broader, not-for-profit program called Ourschool that helps public high schools build and grow their alumni communities.  As part of the alumni program, we invite past students back to school to talk to current students about their pathway after Year 12 and give practical tips about study and work.

Over the past year 23 alumni have returned to the school. This took a range of forms:

• Two former students who run their own businesses (Emily Brown from the class of 2005 and Kane Rogers-Wong from the class of 2007) helped judge the Year 11 Business Management students’ Shark Tank pitches. 
• Alumni came back to talk about the real-life application of what students are learning. For example, Adrian Mayer from the class of 2004 spent time with the Year 12 Business Management students talking about procurement.
• The Vocational Major students have identified a list of dream jobs. Alumni returned to talk about pathways into those fields that don’t require an ATAR. So far, we’ve looked at sound production, support work, cyber security and hairdressing.
• Lev Whitelaw (class of 2022) came back to talk about the audition process for the Bachelor of Popular Music course which Lev is studying at Monash University.
• Last year, as Year 12s turned their minds to the end of the year, six alumni came to talk about their own pathways immediately after school.
• A panel of alumni returned to the school to talk about their career pathways at a special assembly.
• The band The Robbies, which had started at Swinburne Senior Secondary College, returned to play at the school’s Big Day Out.
• Eight students from the class of 2024 joined the school’s alumni tutor program. If families are interested in tutoring, the school can refer them to available alumni tutors.
• Tim Fawcett from the Class of spoke at the 2024 valedictory evening. Tim is the Director of Government Affairs for Cisco Australia and New Zealand, and is a former Director of the Diversity Council of Australia. 
• Broadcaster and Swinny alum Jane Gazzo gifted an award to recognise a promising future journalist or broadcaster, with a talent for writing about popular culture. The 2024 award went to aspiring young filmmaker Maude Cowie.

Find out more about the alumni program here: https://forms.gle/eU4jbqS5DG3jLf3dA

If you are a former student or know a former student who would like to join the alumni network, sign up here: https://forms.gle/eU4jbqS5DG3jLf3dA