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Growing our alumni community
Yes, it is that time of year again my friends.  There are squeals of delight, uncontrolled giggling, and much overexcitement in the B floor corridor, as the end of the term draws closer everyday - and that's just the staff, you should hear the students! Not even the unrelenting, wild barrages of rain can dampen the spirits in these here halls.

What a triumphant year it has been for the alumni program - our first full year in operation on campus.  Being able to present physically in front of students has certainly paid off with 146 of this year’s cohort signing up to the program, and our community reach has also grown with 12 newbies receiving this review for the first time. Thank you for connecting with us, either via the socials, or reaching out directly. Simply by connecting you've taken a step towards raising the aspirations of our students and widening our school's network. I hope you enjoy reading about the program happenings as much as I enjoy reflecting on and writing about them.
Raising awareness
It is with great excitement that we announce that our alumni program has grown its own legs, and will move out of Ourschool’s Foundation stage and into Ourschool's Network.  There will be no obvious changes to the program format, and I, Nicole, will still be steering the ship, however, going it alone means that we have proven ourselves to be a sustainable program within the school - something we can all be proud of!  The success of the program is all down to you, our alumni community. So, stay tuned and stay connected!
The Alumni social media pages help us to reach out to you as a collective,  and to keep you informed about the program and ways to get involved. 
We also showcase and celebrate the diverse and often interesting pathways of our alumni. These pages are viewed not only by yourselves, but by the wider school community too.  These pages help us grow our alumni community, so we encourage you to like our Facebook page, and follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram
We'd also love for you to encourage your family members and friends who also attended SASC to get involved, and to help shape the futures of other SASC students!

 
Ernst & Young Industry Insight
It was remiss of me not to mention this important and valuable event that took place in term 2.  11 of our Business Management students, along with students from other Ourschool partnered schools, journeyed into the city to attend an Ourschool Industry Insight session onsite at EY, one of the Big 4 consulting firms.  SASC alumna and Graduate Finance Consultant, Christina Yakovlev '17, took part in a Q&A with a panel of other EY employees, talking about her post-school experiences and sharing her pathway into the consulting firm. After the Q&A students had small group access to the panellists to ask more detailed questions in break-out groups. Having completed an internship at EY before securing employment, Christina's experience attracted much interest with our own students choosing to stay with her for both break-out sessions along with many students from the other schools, all eager to hear her story.   
Multiplex Females in Construction Industry Insight
On Monday August 8, Multiplex, in partnership with Ourschool, opened their new Footscray Hospital construction site to a select few students from SASC, Wyndham Central SC and Keilor Downs College. In a bid to encourage more females into construction, the event was open to female identifying students interested in design, trades, construction or building, and organised through the Alumni Programs at these schools.
43 students from across the 3 schools (20 from SASC) had the
privilege of touring the worksite chaperoned by Multiplex employees who explained in detail the processes of building and the responsibilities for each contractor on site.
Given it was an RDO for workers the site was non-operational, but it still provided students with an overview of the site, the skills and attributes required to work there, and the myriad of pathways into the industry.
Before the tour the students took part in a conversational Q&A with a panel of Multiplex employees; one from management, a cadet, a carpenter, and an electrician. These conversations really opened the students’ eyes to the opportunities that exist for anyone who is serious about a pathway into the industry. 
Speed careering 
On Tuesday August 16, seven alumni returned to SASC for our annual Speed Careering event - six to take part and one as an observer.  The school invites a people from a diversity of careers to talk to students about their jobs and answer any questions the students may have. This event aims to inform and empower students with knowledge about career options.  Thank you so much to the following alumni for their time and for their generosity of spirit in sharing knowledge about what they do, and the paths they took to get there: Simela Karasavidis '86, Danny Lysaght '03, Dr Jozica Kutin '84, Helen Papadimitriou '84, Serena Pham '10, and Victoria Obieglo '13. Your career intel is truly valued! Thank you also to Marija Kellar '69 for your presence on the day. The alumni involvement really enriched the event, and we look forward to more participation next year.


 
Sessions
It has been incredible to be able to run some sessions in the classrooms this year.  Semester two was another busy one for the program.  Steve Obeid '14 returned to speak with Mr Lynch's PE class.  His story was so inspirational and there were lots of questions about his sporting achievements.  Steve also presented the PE faculty with a signed shirt that he wore whilst representing Australia in Blind Cricket. Kat Cicarevic '20 did a couple of back-to-back sessions with Ms Holliday's Legal Studies classes.  Kat shared her experiences of studying law at university and offered some sage advice about settling into uni life. Brigitte Thomas '15 had an impact on Mr Beale's Health and Human Development class.  Being a former recruiter for the health industry, Brigette was able to offer practical tips about studying and interviewing for jobs in health sciences. 

 
Year 12 plant gifting
As mentioned in our Winter Review, Diggers Plant Club is a new off-shoot of the alumni program this year. It was a huge success with students who were not only interested in learning about plants and getting their hands dirty, but also who were eager to show their appreciation for their Year 12 peers.  We potted an impressive 246 plants that were then wrapped, tied and stickered, before being handed out as a reminder to our school leavers that we're keen for them to stay connected with the school.  A huge THANK YOU to the students involved in this project and a friendly FAREWELL to those students who are now officially alumni. We look forward to sharing the garden space with some new alumni in 2023.
Year 12 Graduation Speech, and Awards ceremony
It was a running start to term four with the special guest speaker at the Year 12 graduation ceremony being an alum, as well as two special guests at our whole school assembly handing out their awards - also alumni!

2017 graduate, Christina Yakovlev, gave a reflective speech at our Year 12 graduation ceremony about her time as a student of St Albans SC, the pathway she embarked on after finishing school, and some of the challenges she has faced, and continues to face, since then.  Her messaging was clear; never give up!   Christina gave practical tips to our Year 12s for preparing for the last sprint, and a reminder that perseverance is key to achieving your goals in the face of disappointment and prejudice.
Dr Jozica Kutin '84 and Helen Papadimitriou '84 attended our whole school assembly on Monday to hand out their respective awards for Psychology and English. Dr Joz (as she is affectionately known) gave a moving speech about the pride she feels for the school, and about the life-long friendship she and Helen built in their time as students at the school in the 80s. Congratulations to Lily Huang 11B and Jessica Luong 10E for their commitment, dedication and passion for Psychology and English, respectively.
A word from Ms Dowsley.
One of the (many) very positives aspects of my role over the last few years has been seeing our Alumni program grow and develop into an aspect of school life that we would not want to be without. Former students have always expressed a deep and enduring connection to this school. The difference now is that we are reaching out to them in a systematic way, and connecting more purposefully with more alumni; and, importantly, they are actively seeking reconnection with their ‘old school’.
 
Their skills, talents and wisdom, together with their fondness for St Albans Secondary College, are being brought to life in classrooms, assemblies and significant programs across the year. They are enriching our school in ways that only alumni can. It was very special for me, personally, and for the school to have two 1980’s alumni present scholarships at our final school assembly in October. They spoke beautifully about their school experiences, and about their own friendship that began almost 40 years ago in Year 7. Similarly, to have former students generously contributing their time to inspire Year 10s through the Speed Careering program, or to send Year 12s on their way at their Graduation, has been a real privilege.
 It has been a delight every time to bump into alumni during their visits, and to welcome them back.
 
On behalf of the staff and students, our thanks to you for your willingness to continue being part of the St Albans community, and for enriching our school. I look forward to what 2023 will bring for our Alumni program under Nicole’s enthusiastic leadership.
 
Very best wishes for the festive season, and for a happy and rewarding new year.
As usual, I cannot thank you all enough for your generosity of time, participating in sessions, following along on the socials, or simply reading about our program in this here review.  However you chose to take part as a member of the alumni community is fine by us, we're just glad to have you join us in whatever capacity you can.

To echo the sentiments of Kerrie, we hope you have a wonderful, safe festive break and summer, and hopefully we see more of you on campus in 2023 and beyond.

Nicole Gurd
Alumni Program Coordinator
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SASC Alumni Program · 289 Main Rd · KINGS PARK, VIC 3021 · Australia

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