ALUMNI FOCUS - DR CLAUDIA ASHKAR 2004-2009

Claudia Ashkar was a student who threw herself into all aspects of life at Sandringham College - learning the flute, being part of the concert band and performing key on stage roles in the College Musical Productions of South Pacific, Return to the Forbidden Planet and a 'Pink Lady' in Grease. Claudia was a valuable member of the SEAL class excelling in English, Maths and Science, a Peer Support Leader. a member of the Volleyball Team and School Captain of the 7-10 Campus. She was what we call an "all-rounder".

As a young child Claudia always wanted to be a singer - that made sense as she does have a lovely voice - and she pictured herself on stage performing around the world. But when Claudia started studying at High school she fell in love with the sciences - she always wanted to know how and why parts of the body worked and with a special interest in Biology and Chemistry she wanted to discovery the explanations for her many questions. Claudia was also someone who enjoyed a challenge and as she progressed through to VCE her passion was confirmed - no longer did she want to be on the stage - the world of medicine was calling.

An intelligent and conscientious learner, Claudia focused on her studies to achieve the scores required for Medicine but when she completed the UMAT test, (the precursor to GAMSAT) and realised she was not going to automatically achieve her new ambition, so she shifted focus to Bio Medical Science and completed this three-year course - achieving distinction grades that enabled her to pursue her passion of medicine. Four years later she qualified as a Junior Doctor then completed the one-year Internship and three years as a general practitioner, and then it was time to specialise. Initially thinking she would like to become a paediatrician she did a ‘rotation’ as an endocrinologist and found it fascinating - so much so that Claudia is now working in the diabetes Clinic at Frankston Hospital and couldn’t be happier!

One aspect of her work that she finds particularly rewarding is that the ‘small things I do make a big difference in the life of my patients’. She also values the fact that she will be looking after these patients over their health journey. With greater flexibility in her work conditions, she does not miss the hectic pace of being a registrar nor that of being on call at night!

Claudia’s advice to current students is don’t give up on your dreams - find the right pathway to achieve your passion. She adds that it is okay to change your mind the ‘most important thing is to do what you find makes you happy and that you find fulfilling.’

That passion for singing? It’s still there - but her style and audience will change - as together with her partner she is soon to become a first-time parent. After her dedication to her studies and her patients - we wish Claudia all the best on her new challenge!!

And to answer the question many of you may have - Claudia is indeed related to our very own Estelle Ashkar - she is in fact the older sister of two highly successful Mathematics teachers and has worked as a teacher herself lecturing second year medical students!

THE CLASS OF 2023

WHAT ARE THEY DOING NOW?

In the newsletters for the rest of the year, we will provide you with updates of what our graduating class of 2023 are up to. I asked a group who are at university the following questions:

1. What course are you studying?

2. Where are you studying?

3. Is it easy to get to?

4. What are the subjects you are undertaking?

5. Favourite one? Why?

6. What is the best thing about university?

7. What career are you aiming for?

8. Anything else you would like to add?

Sophie FOSTER

1. I am studying a double degree in Business/Arts.

2. I am completing my course at Monash University.

3. Due to the units I take, I have to go to both the Caulfield Campus and the Clayton Campus. For where I live, Caulfield is easier to get to on public transport due to train lines, however I drive so they both take roughly the same amount of time for me!!

4. The business part of my degree has compulsory units, meaning you have to complete them before you can pick your major. This semester I am studying:

-business law

-and marketing.

-for my arts part, I am majoring in sociology, so I am currently doing an introduction into that.

5. Right now, I love sociology as the tutorials (classes) are fun and conversational, it's basically one big discussion between the whole class on issues such as class, race, gender and feminism. The tutorials are generally about discussing and understanding the content in person, so classes like sociology encourage debate and opinion in order to grasp the topic more. Although this is my favourite, I am currently in the middle of writing an essay worth 50% of my grade so be warned!!!

6. I really value the flexibility of Uni. You can pick pretty much any subject and there are many different times you can do so you can plan to have only a few days of actually travelling into university! And although it was initially a bit daunting, the independence of university is great as you can choose what you want to do without being restricted in many ways, and you don't have a teacher chasing you around for homework, you're on your own!

7. At this stage, I'm hoping for a career in the Human Resources field, what position specifically is still for me to find out!

8. Even though the change from High School to Uni can feel like a big jump, you'll start to get the hang of things eventually. And everyone is feeling the same way as you!

Sam MERRICK

1. I am studying a Bachelor of Engineering.

2. I am studying at Swinburne University on the Hawthorn Campus.

3. It is fairly easy to get to Swinburne as it has a train station right out the front of the Campus.

4. This semester I am undertaking four subjects, including:

-an introduction to computing

-calculus

-humanitarian engineering design

-and engineering mechanics.

5. My favourite subject is the humanitarian engineering design, as it is a group project and doesn’t include any tests or exams, but rather involves a report and sketching. This subject is the type of engineering that I wish to do further in my education.

6. The best thing about university is the freedom to choose the subjects that you what you do. Also, the variety of food options around the campus and surrounding area is great.

7. I am aiming for a career in engineering.

8. Sam makes the observation that Year 12 had a higher workload with more classes and exams to do at the end of the year, however the content of Uni has been harder than year 12.

Evie McCORMACK

1. I am completing a Bachelor of Nursing and Midwifery.

2. I am studying at the Peninsula Campus of Monash University.

3. Surprisingly it is very easy to get to. Before I started, I was worried it would be complicated to get there but I just take the train to Frankston station, via the Frankston train line, and then a university shuttle bus runs directly to the University from the station.

4. Currently, I am taking:

-fundamental skills and knowledge for nursing and midwifery,

-Indigenous Health

-Cultural Safety in Healthcare Practice and Communication

and Scholarship in Nursing and Midwifery

5. My favourite subject is definitely fundamental skills as we learn a lot of bioscience and get to go to classes called CLEs which stands for Clinical Learning Environment. At CLEs we learn hands-on skills such as taking vitals and carrying out physical assessments in a “fake hospital ward” and even get to use the dummies that simulate real patients.

6. The best thing about university is being able to choose what days I have classes and not having to go in 5 days a week which means I have a lot more free time.

7. I am hoping to become a registered midwife as my career.

8. I think any student that has any interest in going into the medical field would love the course or even someone who just loves to learn hands on skills rather than just sitting in a classroom.

Shusuke SATO

1. I am studying a Bachelor of Computer Science.

2. I am completing this course at Monash University in Clayton!

3. It is easy to get to Monash for me as I live just down the road. It's easy to get there because I have a bicycle, which I meant to use to get to Sandringham College last year, but I never used it due to the scary number of cars running next to me!!! But I can use it near the university so I'm happy now!!

4. The subjects I am undertaking include:

-Discreate Mathematics

-Computer security

-Network

-and Python programming!!!

But these are all introductive and basic subjects! I want to learn more in depth in the future!

5. My favourite subject is the Discrete Mathematics class the most in these subjects, because the weekly tutorial class creates me the opportunity to interact with other students to solve Math problems! Also, I found it satisfying when I understood some tricky questions with supports of tutor!! Also, my learning in the Sandringham College helped me a lot in this subject, since this extends what I learnt in Math Methods and General Math last year such as graph theory!!

6. The library is the best thing about university for me, as it is open every day, and I can't study at home so... I have been using this library many times since I was in year 12!

7. I want to be a computer scientist, but also someone who is really creative and produces interesting animation or music etc! I want to extend the knowledge about computer technologies to create interesting media as well as AI sort of things. I'm still don't know anything about how computer actually works, so I'm studying hard to understand it now!

8. Thank you so much for giving me an opportunity to share my experience!!

Amelia SPENCELEY

1. I am studying a Bachelor of Science, majoring in biotechnology with a focus on either genetics or microbiology.

2. I am studying at the University of Melbourne.

3. It's relatively easy to get to Melbourne Uni, an hour on train and tram which is good for getting work done.

4. The subjects I am undertaking are:

- the Core Science subject on climate change,

-the Core Biology subject,

-Chemistry 1, and

-Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia as my breadth (subject outside of science).

5. My favourite subject is biology as it is definitely the most interesting one and is getting me excited for the next couple of years where I can specialise further. Honestly, my history subject has taken me by surprise as well. I'm planning on continuing the Ancient World classes alongside my core and elective subjects.

6. The best thing about Uni is definitely the different experiences you get to participate in and the people you meet along the way. For example, I was able to travel to the Gold Coast for a week with my university teammates for an athletics competition, which was an amazing experience!!

7. What career am I aiming for? Tricky question ... My ultimate goal is to achieve my PhD and become a researcher, but I would also love any job in the Biotechnology Industry. Honestly, I'm keeping my options open for now.

8. To current year 12 students, find what works for YOU. Whether that's going straight into university, taking a gap year, or getting right into work. I know it seems daunting, but you, the students, have the choice here, so make the most of it and do what you want to do.

Makena PELLAS

1. I am studying a Bachelor of Paramedicine

2. I am completing my degree at Monash Uni (Peninsula campus)

3. It's quite easy to get to the Peninsula Campus, just a 25-minute drive

4. The subjects I am undertaking include:

-anatomy

-physiology

-paramedic research subject

-a professionalism subject - focusing on things like communication and patient-centred care

-lastly, I have my practical subject where I learn my skills.

5. My favourite subject is my practical class because I'm learning the skills that will be relevant for my future career and I love it! Skills I have learnt include how to assess a patient to determine the best course of care. For example, analysing ECGs and conducting primary and secondary surveys.

6. The best thing about university is the flexibility and how I can be more in charge of my schedule.

7. The career I am aiming for is to become a flight paramedic at some stage, but for the time being an ALS paramedic. An ALS paramedic is an Advanced Life Support paramedic which is the main paramedic on the road.

8. I'm about to go on placement at a disability support camp. At the camp I'll be a "buddy" and I will support one of the kids at the camp. I'm really looking forward to it. :)

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALUMNI SAM WILLIAMSON

Swimming world champion Sam Williamson sent two ominous warnings on the opening day of Australia's Paris trials, twice shattering the 59-second barrier in the 100m breaststroke as he booked his ticket to France.

In the heats at Brisbane Aquatic Centre on Monday, Williamson posted a time of 58.95 seconds to become the third-fastest Australian breaststroker in history. Sam then won the final during the night session with an even quicker time, cranking out a 58.80.

Sam Williamson, graduated from the College in 2015, and, achieving an ATAR in the 90s was able to gain a place in the Science degree at Melbourne University.

Sandringham College wishes Sam all the very best in the next part of his swimming journey - the PARIS OLYMPICS!

GRADUATING CLASS OF 1994

Last month the Class of 1994 enjoyed their reunion at the Sandringham College celebrating 30 years since their Graduation. This group were the original Year7s of the College and actually includes a number who are parents of current Sandringham students and Office staff member Clementine Ellis.

The Bluff Road cohort's Year 7 Coordinator Heather Fehring (1989) and Year 8 and 9 Coordinator Bruce McPhate (1990 and 1991) were also in attendance! A lovely opportunity for the group to reminisce the past, to share experiences and to discuss the present!

2025 Subject selection timelines