Career News

Newman College Forum Dinner, University of Melbourne

On Friday the 22 May, a collective of Senior students attended the Newman College Forum Dinner, providing an invaluable opportunity to experience life at one of Melbourne University’s residential colleges. 

Students toured the College, connected with peers from other schools, and heard from distinguished alumni Dr Hugh Fleet, a General Practitioner, and Ms Madeline Fleet-Barry, Public Policy Officer at WorkSafe Victoria, who shared insights into their university experiences, career pathways, and professional journeys. The evening concluded with a question-and-answer session, which delved into the depths of residential living, university life, and future study opportunities in Melbourne.

Attended: Ms Kelly Brady (Head of Year 11) with Year 11 students Abby E, Rosamond L, Saskia G, Alekhya A and Imogen F. 

Student reflections

Abby E

Upon arriving at the College, we were warmly welcomed and introduced to our tour guide for the evening, Steph.

Steph showed us around the campus, including the dormitories (my favourite part!), the dining hall, the sports facilities, and many other impressive areas of the College. The tour concluded in the garden, where we had the opportunity to speak with Steph about life at Newman College. As we knew very little about college life beforehand, we all found this discussion insightful.

Later in the evening, we enjoyed a delicious dinner in the dining hall and listened to presentations from two alumni, Dr Hugh Fleet and Ms Madeleine Fleet-Barry; a married couple who met while attending Newman College. They shared words of wisdom into the social aspects of college life and explained how the college supports students academically throughout their university studies.

Overall, the Newman College Forum Dinner gave us a much better understanding of how college life works and helped us consider whether it may be an option for our future studies. I speak for myself and the other Year 11 students when I say that we thoroughly enjoyed the experience and left feeling very interested in looking into the College as a future pathway.

Rosamond L

As a boarder at St Catherine's School, I found it very interesting to see what being a boarder is like at a university. The Newman College Forum dinner was a 10/10 experience. After a fascinating tour of the student dorms and libraries, we were welcomed into the dining hall by beautiful choir performances. The dinner itself was amazing. We had the honour of sitting with two current Newman College residents, who generously shared their experiences of college and career pathways. Hearing their personal stories, alongside those of the guest speakers, was very inspiring. This glimpse into the residential life of Newman College has made me incredibly excited for the future.

Saskia G

Before visiting Newman College, I had not properly considered the prospect of going to a college one day but after attending the Forum Dinner, I was enlightened by those in the room as to the benefits of living on campus. Touring the beautiful grounds with a first year student was a wonderful way to see what college life has to offer, and as each student that we encountered greeted our guide with a smile and her name, it was clear that attending a college places you in a warm and welcoming environment, which the group who attended all agreed reminded us of St Catherine's.

Sitting in the dining hall and listening to two alumni speak was what I found particularly inspiring, hearing how being part of Newman College helped shape their university experience but also life after study. As someone who is not quite sure what I want to do after school, hearing them speak about their journey, from sitting in my seat at the Forum Dinner when they were in Year 11 to now one of them being a doctor and the other working for Worksafe Victoria was a really valuable part of the evening.

Now, I’m looking forward to defining my own journey, appreciating the value of a close and tight knit community that St Catherine's has provided me will set a precedent for what I look for in my next chapter.