Women In The Workforce
On Monday the 15th of May we held our 'Women in the Workforce' Alumni session, with four special guests. Liz Hardiman, class of 1998, Donna Nugent, class of 1999, Jane Meneses, class of 1998, Emma Wilkinson, class of 1998 and Lanah Tiley, class of 2018. Due to Emma being unwell and therefore unable to make it, we called upon the services of another Alum of BSC, staff member, Mrs Palmer, who is not only a teacher here but also works in Education Support.
The session, which took place over morning tea, was an excellent opportunity for students to learn about life after school and all that it entails. Divided into small groups, the students were able to interact with our Alumni on a more personal level, asking questions and gathering information that they may find useful in the future.
We would like to thank each of our Alumni for taking time out from their busy lives to be part of this important program and for engaging and inspiring our students with their stories.
Two of our group leaders on the day, shared their thoughts on the session -
On Monday the 15th of May, us girls were lucky enough to hear from five inspiring ladies. They each shared their story with us and we all had the opportunity to ask questions as they came around to our groups.
The five ladies who came to the session were:
- Liz Hardiman- Inclusion and Diversity Lead at CAFS, who started a new role, also within CAFS, the same day. It was very interesting to hear about the pathways she took to get to where she wanted to go and how determined she was to achieve her goals.
- Donna Nugent- Photographer. She is lucky enough to own her own business, “Indie Lane Photography”. It was inspiring to hear how she advanced her knowledge whilst running a business. She demonstrated perseverance, creativity and confidence, which we all loved to see.
- Lanah Tiley- studying 5th year Law at Melbourne’s Latrobe University. It was encouraging to hear about her balance between working at a law firm and studying full time. Her work ethic and determination were admirable, while her passion shines through.
- Kylie Palmer- Teacher and Education Support at BSC (yes, she is one of our very own). Even though we see Mrs Palmer everyday, we learnt so much from her as she explained her pathways and the routes she took to accomplish what she wanted to. Her desire, passion and determination were very inspiring.
- Jane Meneses - Chef and owner of "Webster’s Market and Cafe". She shared her experience as an apprentice and the passion that led her to become a chef as well as a few tidbits about cooking. Jane is also a business owner and an excellent role model.
The session taught us girls many things. One of the common messages was that ‘if you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life’. This expresses that if you enjoy what you do, the difficulties seem easier and more worthwhile. We also learned that, often, the right job will find you. They gave us inspiration and told us that, through hard work, we can do anything we set our mind to.
A big thankyou to the Alumni for coming back and sharing their stories and words of wisdom with all the female students. We would also like to thank Mrs Jenkins for organising this session and all the female staff, for hanging out with us throughout the session.
- Zarie Tiley & Ashley Trengove
