Alumni Program
Koonung Secondary College
ALUMNA SPOTLIGHT
Bronwyn Pearce
Class of 2004
Head of HR, People & Culture at Southern Cross Computer Systems in the IT industry
Where has life taken you since graduating from Koonung?
After leaving Koonung, I was exhausted from schooling; I wanted to experience the “real world” and start to earn some money. I stepped straight into an administration role working for an architecture firm in the city. From there I purposely experienced a lot of different roles across various industries, trying to work out who I was and what I enjoyed. I worked in hospitality and catering, medical science, retail, swim teaching and lifeguarding, management and administration, music management, and more. Along the way I found opportunities to enrol in short courses in order to back myself with learned skills.
Many roles that I had were part time as I was also building my family. Having 3 children, work had to be something that supported our family lifestyle and allowed me to be a dedicated mum; my most favourite job of all.
Every role I have had I have channelled into the personal connections that I get to build with people and therefore accidentally fell into a new role within Southern Cross Computer Systems in the HR department and eventually, over the years, built up to running the department.
What memorable experiences or achievements have shaped your life since finishing / graduating from Koonung?
Outside of work, we are a very passionate basketball family. Three years ago my wife and I started a side hustle, a private basketball coaching company. This company now has multiple social media accounts with a great following and runs for about 30 hours per week outside of our full-time roles. It’s our passion project, and we never could have anticipated it being as successful as it has been.
What does your job involve?
My role supports the life cycle of the employee. From the administration aspects of contracting and communications to promotions, change management, fair work liaising, conflict resolution, marketing and operations support, and event management/team bonding/culture building.
What do you most enjoy about your work?
The people. I like to be able to give our people the support that they need to be as happy and successful in their role as possible.
What skills or qualities are important in your line of work?
Listening and communication skills, problem-solving and outside-of-the-box thinking, organisation and a positive outlook on all scenarios.
What are your favourite memories of your time at Koonung?
Funnily enough, the people. I was a member of an incredibly ambitious cohort. But more than that, they were just genuine and sincere people. So many students from the 2004 graduating year have gone on to do some incredible things with their lives. I'm proud of us all and wish them all the best.
How would you describe yourself as a school student?
Oh goodness, I was not the best student. I wanted to be, but I just couldn’t sit still for too long. I was a competitive dancer in school, and I just always wanted to be on the move. My social status always took priority over my study… it was about the people.
When you were a student at Koonung, what did you imagine you would do for a career?
I always dreamt of being a professional dancer and owning a dancing school. Life took me in a different direction, but the essence of what I wanted out of that is something I have achieved in my life. I wanted to be in management or business ownership, I wanted to be able to deliver a space that people would want to come to, and I wanted to watch and celebrate other people's achievements. All of these things are a prominent part of my life.
If you could go back and give advice to your school aged teenage self, what would that be?
You don’t need to have the answers yet. It's ok if you don’t know what you want to do or if you cant see the clear path. Just keep learning, keep reading, keep experiencing, and you have the time to piece it together organically. It will all be ok.
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