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Helen Thompson

I’m a proud Djukun woman from the West Kimberley who has lived on Yamatji Country in the Mid West for the past 58 years. My work in education has taken me across a range of primary and secondary schools, where I have been privileged to support students, families, staff, and communities. I am deeply committed…

Craig Doyle

I have worked both within Australia and internationally in a variety of roles, including as a Literature Coordinator, Head of Year, Head of English Department and currently as the Head of Academic Tracking & Pathways at St Hilda’s in Western Australia. I spent 8 tears teaching abroad in Singapore, London and the United Arab Emirates,…

Karen Carr

My educational and professional journey has been built on a strong foundation of learning, adaptability, and a passion for supporting students. I hold a Diploma of Business, which has provided me with the skills to excel in a range of administrative and organisational roles within education. Over the past 16 years, I have worked across…

Catherine Taylor

I am a dedicated and compassionate education and youth support professional with extensive experience in student mentoring, case management, career pathway planning, and learning support. In my current role as a Link and Launch Coordinator with the Department of Education, I support young people to successfully transition from school into further study, training, or employment.…

Amber Heaney

Teaching was a career I came to later in life, after spending many years working across retail, banking and customer service. I commenced university at 35 and became an English teacher, where I developed a passion for supporting young people to grow in confidence and discover their potential. In 2025, I transitioned into Career Practice…

Allan Hamdan

My journey into education began unexpectedly when a desire to travel led me to accept a teaching position in South Korea. What started as an overseas adventure quickly became a rewarding career, inspiring me to complete a Master of Education (Education Technology), which combined my creative arts and digital media background and ultimately led me…

Xin Chen

My journey as an educator is shaped by resilience, curiosity, and a deep commitment to expanding opportunity. After immigrating to Australia as a skilled professional, I built a career in education spanning over 15 years across Careers, VCE and VET in Computing, Digital Media, and Chinese. I have led curriculum innovation as Head of Digital…

Ben Schimanski

My journey as an educator has spanned more than 27 years across mathematics and STEM education. Throughout that time, I have held a variety of leadership and teaching roles, but my passion has always remained the same: helping students discover their potential through learning. I believe education is most powerful when students are challenged to…

Sarah Donnan

I always liked the idea of working part time in the office and part time outside somewhere. During school, I had work experience with an engineering contractor who showed me the sites they worked on as well as the office. I was hooked! I studied at Loughborough University in the UK, a four-year course with…

Dips Narayan

When I left school, I had no idea I’d end up in construction — I actually studied videography. After travelling Europe on my OE, I landed a job in London with an infrastructure company, and that’s where everything changed. I realised I loved being part of something real — where ideas turn into buildings you…

Lu Ponton

I enjoyed biology and chemistry at high school and hoped to continue studying these subjects at university. I first studied in China but was placed in a program that didn’t suit. After a year, I made the choice to start again in Australia, studying chemical and metallurgical engineering. After graduation, I went on to work…

Suhaila Muhamad

My journey may be slightly different than the rest! Before graduating from high school, I was offered a scholarship to study at an engineering university in Malaysia, one owned by the national oil company. That opportunity set my early career path towards the oil and gas sector, which suited my desire to travel and work…

Grace Sancataldo

In year 10 my school advertised an Australian School Based Apprenticeship (ASBA) called ‘Women in Construction’. The program enabled school girls to attend site 1 day a week for 24 months, rotating between different trades every 3 months. Having no clue what I was passionate about or what I would pursue after school I gave…

Rebecca Colley

When I was at school, I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up, and honestly, I’m still working it out. I went to university hoping it would buy me some time, so I enrolled in a science degree at UQ and sampled everything: engineering, psychology, technology, human movements… basically career…

Celeste Tan

I did not originally plan to become a surveyor after leaving school and considered careers such as accounting, medicine, and engineering. While waiting for my STPM results (equivalent to the SSCE), I completed LCCI Levels 1–3 and considered pursuing accounting before accepting an offer to study Geomatic Engineering at a local university. After graduating, I…

Kat McDonnell

As a kid, I was obsessed with re-planning my room and begged my parents to take me to open house inspections, imagining how I’d redesign every space. After high school, I wasn’t sure what to do—architecture sounded amazing, but the maths and science felt scary at the time. I finished a Bachelor of Commerce, but…

Emma Howson

I grew up in the UK and always had a passion for geography, which led me to study Environment and Business at university – a degree combining sustainability and business principles. During my studies, I completed a year in industry at Network Rail, the UK’s largest rail infrastructure company, as an Environmental and Sustainable Development…

Kara Southwood

I never considered teaching while at High School, as I was pursuing a career as a classically trained ballet dancer. I was always interested in Science and did well in Biology, which led me to complete a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology and Ecotourism. Finding it difficult to secure work in these fields, I…

Donna Stace

From a young age, I knew I wanted to pursue a trade. I entered the resources industry straight out of school and earned my Mechanical Trade qualifications four years later. My career has taken me across oil and gas, construction, building maintenance, mining, and rail – both in Australia and overseas. Often the only woman…

Elena Arens

Driven by curiosity about how business works, I started my career in marketing and brand management and made it all the way up to Director of Marketing and Public Relations for the Russian Bobsleigh Federation. To take it to the next step, I went to Singapore to study an MBA. At that time innovation and…