International Women's Day

Tuesday 8 March was International Women's Day and as a College we took the opportunity to acknowledge the day and discuss its significance. We welcomed three of our alumni back to their alma mater—Kelsie Raspin (class of 2010), Holly Andrée (class of 2017) and Lucy Eade (class of 2020) to attend two separate events on the day. 

All three young women spoke of their St Mary's journey and reflected on their school experience. The common theme of their discussions was the importance of finding something that you're passionate about by making the most of every opportunity presented to you. Kelsie, Holly and Lucy all agreed that they sweated the little things at school, which caused them and their families much stress at times. They encouraged the students to be kinder to themselves and to embrace challenge and failure by focusing on the outcomes. 

Prefects, Caitlin and Mackenzie (Year 12) welcomed alumni Lucy and Kelsie to the couch for an insightful and thought-provoking chat. Click on the link here to watch. 

Holly Andrée, the guest speaker at our International Women's Day Breakfast, shared her wisdom with the Year 11 and 12 students on how to break the biases of gender stereotypes and the expectation to pursue one, single pathway to success.

‘Personal success takes time, and you don’t need to rush into your futures. You are completing your final years of schooling during a pandemic and it’s okay to take time to work out what’s next for you.’

Holly’s passion for saving the natural environment was discovered during her gap year after Year 12, which saw her journey to the UK and Europe, rather than take the traditional path of starting University straight away. Holly is creating a meaningful future, with a Masters of Landscape Planning and will be an architect of cities.

Here at St Mary’s College, we acknowledge the challenges women face in our society and aim to empower the voices of young women to know they can break the bias and choose their own way forward.