Deputy Principal

As an Alumnae of M A, I was very excited to attend the Alumnae Networking Breakfast this week and hear former College Captain Heidi Cooper speak. A graduate of the class of 1994, these days Heidi is the  CEO at Business Chamber Queensland, which is no mean feat. It wasn’t something she always knew she wanted to do, having initially completed a Law Degree (Major in Politics) and working as a lawyer, although she did always have an interest in business. It wasn’t until a rather interesting career conversation, which she shared with us at the breakfast, that got her to thinking. The Chairman of the Board where she was working at the time asked her if she had ever thought of not being a lawyer. She was perplexed at first by the question, until he explained that she could be doing more, and that she was constantly talking about the business side of things. And this was but one pearl of wisdom Heidi shared with us … to learn from others and to have the conversation. 

Heidi also spoke about how certain industries continue to be dominated by men and in fact she said she was often the only female in the room. She feels as though this imbalance is slowly changing but that there is work to do, and she stressed that “You can’t be what you can’t see”. Heidi was inspired by her own mother who worked as a midwife and was constantly juggling many balls, as well as a long line of strong Irish Catholic women. “I grew up in a household where girls are educated and women have careers,” she said. 

Heidi is a Mt A Alumnae to the core and in her own words: “Once a Mount Alvernian, always a Mount Alvernian.” She explained that her mother too was a graduate, of the 60s, and in fact seven members of her family went through Mt A. In addition, her family built a house in Cremorne Road at one point and many family celebrations over the years had been held at Little Flower Church. Heidi spoke fondly of her time at Mt A and in fact attributed her success in part to the encouragement teachers gave her at school. She said, “I had an extraordinary start here at Mt A. Teachers told me I could do these subjects. I will always be grateful.” She went on to say, “Education is the number one thing in your life and career.” This message of self belief is important for our students today, as is knowing the value of the learning experiences provided at school. 

Heidi’s self-belief really came to the fore when she had the opportunity to go to Harvard to work on a project on climate change. She explained she thought she would never get to Harvard and that it was too late but she “lived out her dream” and it was “one of the best educational experiences, leading to the adoption of sustainable business practices so we can be more competitive in the future”. This experience did teach her that “No matter what your dream, you can do it”.

Heidi wrapped up her presentation with some final words of wisdom, including the importance of leaning in, having the courage to step up and sit at the table especially when you’re in the minority, and serving others which is something she learnt at Mt A. Further, given the “extraordinary start” she had at Mt A, she implored us at Mt A, led by Samantha Jensen our Principal, to “Please continue what you are doing”. She also asked us all to spread the word amongst our alumnae friends and to come along to alumnae networking events in the future. These events are certainly important in keeping the Mt A spirit alive, hearing about the great things we’re all doing and in being positive role models for our young people today.

From us Alumnae, thank you Heidi for your warm, funny and articulate presentation, and for inspiring us to be confident and to dream big.

Kathryn Dendy

Deputy Principal Student Development and Wellbeing