It’s hard to summarise my journey from Mater Christi student to malaria research scientist in a few paragraphs.

There were so many alternative paths I could have taken. My academic and professional career path has not been a straight line, but it led me to where I am today - living overseas and working in an area of science that I find meaningful and engaging.

I graduated from Mater Christi in December 2005 with a clear and focused plan.

I left Australia in January 2006 to explore, travel and live in Germany. I couldn’t speak a sentence in German at the time. But with a strong will and determined attitude I became fluent after several months and found a job.

I was sitting at my laptop in class when the email arrived. “…I am writing to invite you to share your story as a member of the Class of 1996…” and the first thought that crossed my mind was, “What could I possibly share? I haven’t achieved anything great!” 

I then looked up from my laptop and gazed at the young women before me, who were part of my Year 12 Psychology class.

I graduated Mater Christi in 2005 with fierce focus and a serious plan. I was accepted in the Victorian College of the Arts to study Sculpture and Spatial practice. 

I’ve done a lot since then. I completed art school, studied abroad, exhibited my work, travelled all over the world, bought a house and got married.

Ten years ago I completed my VCE at Mater Christi and today (3 November 2015) I finished my last day of medical school. I have achieved my dream.

It took time. 

It took hard work, resilience and a growth mindset.

When I left Mater Christi in 2005 I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I liked science so I decided to do a science degree. As it turned out, I hated it. I stopped going to uni because I didn’t enjoy any of my classes. To cut a long story short, I failed horribly and decided to take a semester off.

I graduated from Mater Christi in 1990 with no clear idea what to do next. I studied economics at La Trobe, however it wasn’t for me. Yet study interested me enough to try something else; marketing. I really thrived in this field which resulted in a diverse career with a global hotel chain, Nike and Jim Beam Brands Australia.

I have always thought I knew exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up. The beauty of getting older is that you become wiser and have far more opportunities than ever before.  

After graduating from Mater Christi in 1995, I decided to work for 12 months before moving to the Gold Coast where I completed 18 months of a Bachelor of Health Science course.

During my VCE years at Mater Christi, I had my heart set on becoming a Police Officer.  My sense of adventure and wanting to go into a career which genuinely helped people was what made me want to go into Law Enforcement.

Whilst I got a placement to study Accounting at Swinburne University, I had still applied for and unfortunately failed my first attempt at getting in with Victoria Police.

I graduated from Mater Christi in 2010 knowing that my passion was Geology.

I completed and honours degree in 2014  in Applied Science – Geology, with a major interest in the development of  Gold in Victoria. 

At University I have been involved in overseas study tours in Thailand and New Zealand, along with various study trips throughout Australia.