Speed-dating Alumnae
This week our Year 9 students took part in a ‘speed-dating’ style career workshop with recent Wenona Alumnae as part of the Year 9 Careers Day ‘Anticipating the Skills of the Future’. The aim of the day was to provide opportunities for Middle School students to develop their awareness of potential careers, including the skills and experience necessary for the emerging jobs of the future.
The event was an invaluable opportunity for students to see the variety of career paths open to them, and to hear first-hand how different Alumnae have successfully made the transition from Wenona to university and/or their chosen career.
Altogether 26 Alumnae generously gave up their time to take part in the workshop. There were zoo keepers, physiotherapists, accountants, web developers, engineers, refugee caseworkers, pilots, nursing graduates and current students studying a variety of disciplines.
Year 9 students moved around the room in 5-minute intervals and enjoyed talking to, and exchanging ideas with, the Alumnae. It not only increased the visibility of female role models across a variety of fields, but also provided them with inspiration and ideas for their own future.
It is inspiring that so many of our Alumnae want to be actively involved in supporting the next generation of Wenonians, helping them to make more informed career choices, mentoring them, improving their networking skills and opening their eyes to new possibilities.
The afternoon session concluded with a series of panel discussions with inspiring female leaders. We were very grateful for the contribution of representatives from Quantium (Data Analytics), UTS SWIT (Women in Tech), Computer Scientists from Boral, Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects and partners from the CSIRO Scientists in Schools Program.