OLSHEX-STUDENTS’NEWS

August2016

OLSHEX-STUDENTS’ASSOCIATIONCONNECTINGISSUE1

SUPPORTINGEACHOTHERTHROUGHOURNETWORK

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WelcometoOLSHEx-Students’News2016

Welcome to our first edition of OLSHEx-Students’News. Weareexcitedtoconnectex-students,currentstudents,the Sisters and staff of the OLSHcommunity.

In this edition, we share the careerpaths of three ex-students. Thesesnapshots will show some of ouralumni’ssuccessesandthepossibilitiesfor our current students and schoolcommunity.Whileeveryone’sjourneyis unique, we are inspired by thededication, commitment andachievementsoftheseex-students.

Also featuredarephotos fromourex-students’ annual mass and luncheon,ThemassandluncheonareagreatThe

massandluncheonisanopportunitytocatch up with other ex-students andreconnectwiththeOLSHcommunity.The Ex-students’ Committee aims tomake new and stronger connectionswith the wider OLSH community,especially with past students. Weencourageyoutojoinus,weneedyoursupporttobuildastrongnetwork.Weendeavourtocreateaplatformforex-students tobuild thealumninetwork,assistthecollegeandeachother.To connect with the Ex-Students’Associationpleasecontactusbyemail:olshexstudents@gmail.com.

Editor:CatherineWallaceheldonthethirdSundayofMay.

CONTENTSOLSHANNUALMASS&LUNCHEON…………………….……………………….Page3CAREERINLAW…………………………………………………………………………..Page4-5CAREERINTEACHINGANDPSYCOLOGY………………………………..…….Page6-7LIVINGABROAD…………………………………………………………………………...Page8-9CONNECT……………………………………………………………………………………..Page10-11

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Annual Mass and LuncheonMay2016

OurOLSHEx-Students’AnnualMasswascelebratedbyFatherAdrianMeaneyMSCon15thMay. Themass is followedbya luncheonandex-studentsand familyareinvited.Thepicturesbelowarefrom2015and2016annualmasses.

Thenextannualmasswillbeheldon21stMay,2017at11am.

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CareerinLaw

Marie Iskander attended Our Lady of theSacredHeart (‘OLSH’)College from2003until2008, where she graduated with a UniversityAdmissions Indexabove 95andwas listedonthe Board of Studies’ DistinguishedAchieversListforachievingmarksabove90%inanumberof her HSC courses.Marie had aspirations tostudylawsinceshewas11yearsoldandwhileat OLSH she engaged in a number of extra-curricular activities including Mock Trial,debatingandpublicspeaking,whichshehopedwouldequipherforacareerinthelaw.

Marie was awarded a National Council for Women

Australia Day Award. MariestartedstudyingattheUniversityofNewSouth Wales in 2009, where she recentlygraduatedwithaBachelorofArtswithHonoursandaBachelorofLawswithHonours.Whileatuniversity,Marie was actively involved in theuniversity community, whereby she was thePresidentoftheUNSWLawSocietyin2014andwas the Vice-President (Education) of theAustralian Law Students’ Association in 2015,which is the peak national body for allAustralianlawstudents.

Ontopofheracademicstudies,Marieinternedat the Redfern Legal Centre and the HumanRights Clinic in 2011 and she worked at theIndigenous Law Centre from 2013 until early2015asa researchassistantandtheEditoroftheAustralianIndigenousLawReview.

Asanavidwriter,Mariehaspublishedbroadly–bothonlineand in print– and she has alsomade a number of representations in themediaonvariousissuesaffectinglawstudentsandvulnerablemembersofthecommunity.

MarieIskanderClassof2008

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Duetoherwork in thecommunity,Mariewasawarded a National Council for WomenAustralia Day Award, sponsored by theAustralian Federation of Graduate Women, in2015.MariewasalsorecognisedasaFinalistforthecategoryofLawStudentoftheYearin theLawyersWeeklyWomeninLawAwardsin2015.In addition to maintaining a strong academicrecord at UNSW, which is reflected by heracademic achievements, including being listedontheLawDean’slisttwice,Mariewasinvolvedin an international competition in 2014. ThisgaveheranopportunitytotraveltoTheHague,in theNetherlands and compete against otherteams from around the world on an issuerelating to international criminal law. Drawingonherexperiencesfromthiscompetition,MariehopestoreturntoTheHagueonedaytointernattheInternationalCriminalCourt.

Marie was finalist for Law Student of the Year in Lawyers Weekly Women in Law Awards

2015.

Marie is currently the Tipstaff for his Honour,Justice StephenRothmanAM, at the SupremeCourtofNewSouthWales,whereshe is giventheopportunitytoworkdirectlywithaSupremeCourtJudgeanddevelopherlegalandadvocacyskills.SheultimatelywishestopursuealegalcareerinthepublicsectorandgetadmittedtotheBar,soshecanengageinpublicinterestlitigationinthehope of promoting social justice and humanrights,andhelpingthoseofwhomthelawbearsharshest.

Lawyer and OLSH ex-student with Bachelor of Arts, Hons. and Bachelor of Laws, Hons. UNSW.

Among Marie’s achievements, she was listed on the Law Dean’s list twice.

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CareerinTeachingandPsychology

After finishing the HSC in 1975 at OLSHKensington,IcompletedanArtsDegreeandPost Graduate Diploma in Education atUNSW before beginning a 15-year highschoolteachingcareerasanEnglish,History,Art,ReligionandCareersEducationteacher.During this time, I worked at OLSH,Kensington, Kincoppal Rose Bay and StVincent’sCollege,PottsPoint.For12ofthese15yearsIwasalsoaCareersCounsellor and Careers DepartmentCoordinator at OLSH Kensington and StVincent’s Potts Point. Careers Counsellinggavemetheopportunity tomotivateyoungpeopletodiscovertheirpassionandpurposein life. I loved my work as a CareersCounsellor and that lead to a decision tostudyPsychologyatCharlesSturtUniversitywiththeaimofsettingupaprivatepracticewithafocusonvocationalcounseling.

“Careers counselling gave me the opportunity to

motivate young people to discover their passion and

purpose in life.” Attheendof1996Ileftteachingtohavemysecondchildandenjoyedtheluxuryofbeingafull-timemum,whilecontinuingpart-timepsychology studies. Four years later, myhusband and I bought a home-ware retailshopandtwoyearsafter thatweopenedacaféandkitchenwareretailoutlet. Apart frommanaging the shops and café, Iwas product purchaser, merchandiser,salesperson,cake-bakeranddevelopedaskincarerangewithanindustrialchemist.

Classof1975JANESULLIVAN-BAYUTI

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Duringthattime,IalsostudiedaCertificateIVand Diploma in Clinical Hypnotherapy at theAcademyofAppliedHypnosis.Itwasabusytimethatrequiredabalancingactand compromises in order to managecommitments to family and study whileworking7-daysaweekfor11years.Evenso,itwas a totally enjoyable and different workexperiencewithagreatdealofflexibility. “All my experiences influence

my work today.” Presently, I have a Psychology and ClinicalHypnotherapy practice at Royal RandwickMedical Centre. My client base includeschildren, teens and adult individuals, couplesand family groups. All experiences, includingmydaysasanOLSHstudentandmyextensivecareer background, influencemywork today,benefiting my clients with an eclectic mix intherapeuticpractice.I’ve heard that people change careers up toseven times in their life. I may just havemanagedtodothat.Itputsintoperspectivethefutility of worries about what career path totakebecausethepathcanhavemanyforksanddetours.Itisimportanttoknowwhatyouvalueandtodreamcleardreams.Apart from considering career and courseoptions,itisimportanttorememberthatotherfactorsplayapartinwhereyouendup,suchasthepathsyouselectinyourjourney,whomyoumeet along those paths, opportunitiespresented andwhether you choose to act onthoseopportunities.

OLSH ex-student. Jane completed an Arts Degree & Diploma of Education at UNSW Bachelor of Psychology at Charles Sturt University and Clinical hypnotherapy.

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IfIhadaeuroeverytimeIwasaskedwhyIgaveupaperfectly good lifeandcareerprospects tocome to Athens, I'd probably be quite rich bynow. Of course, thatwas quarter of a centuryago,whenGreecewasstillusingdrachmas,andIwassingle,youngandidealistic.Initially, my move had to do with a need to'belong'.I'dsay,playfully:"Iwanttoliveinaplacewheretheycanspellmyname."Let'snotforget,inYear7,mynamewasincorrectlyspelledintheOLSHyearbook.Ilaugheditoff,butdeepdownitwas yet another subtle reminder that I was noSmithorBrown.Myteenyearsweren'tthehappiestintheworldthough I was very lucky to attend a school likeOLSHandlive inahousenearMaroubraBeach.Every day, I'd gaze at the ocean and try andsecondguessthesizeofeachnewwavebreakingontotherocks.

“Writing was not the first thing that popped into my mind.”

LivingAbroad

MarySinanidisClassof1985

Atschool,Icommittedsocialsuicidebydartingtotheschool libraryevery lunchtimewhereMs.Abbott-anunlikelyallythroughmyteenangst-wouldhelpmecarefully selectmy books. Readingwas an escape, but it was in Year 8, inMs.Quigley'sclass that I startedtokeepadiary. I dedicateda lotof time to itandcontinuedkeepingoneuntilitmorphedintoapersonalblog.Thewritingtriggeredmyinnervoiceandwasanoutletduringdifficulttimes.Iwas,ofcourse,bulliedbecauseIwasshy,awkwardandnotevenblondeorCatholic.Thebullyingdidwondersformywriting!SometimesI'dsharemyliteraryefforts.ItwasonlythenthatIfeltunderstood.Whenthetimecameformetodecidewhattodowithmyfuture,writingwasnotthefirstthingthatpoppedtomind.Ourcareerguidancecounsellor,wasn'tmuchhelp."Don'tbeajournalist!"shesaidwhenIsuggestedit."It'stoocut-throatforyou.They'lleatyoualive."

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IfinishedhighschoolanddriftedintoLawjustbecauseIgotthemarks,butnotmatureenoughtoknowwhatIwantedtodowithmylife.LackingthepassionforLaw,Ilastedforaboutayear.ThenIslippedintoaBachelorofArtsfollowedbyaBachelorofEducation,becausebythatstageIthoughtitwouldbefuntobeateacher.“I drifted into law, just because I got the marks.”

IthinkitwasthedayaftergraduationthatIboughtmyplanetickettoAthenswhere,onawhim,Iappliedforajobatoneofthemostprestigiousmediaorganizationsinthecountry.Theyjusthappenedtohavetakenoveroneof Greece'smosthistoricEnglish-speakingdailies and,beinganativespeaker,freshfromAustralia Iwasrecruitedfortheartsandentertainment section.Onethingledtoanotherandbefore long,Iwaspresentingnewsbulletinsforthe nationalstateandtelevisionnetworkERT,thatis theABCofGreece.Aftertenureswiththe

EuropeanCommission,EuropeanParliamentanddifferentotherprojectsIamworkingatKathimerini,ahistoricGreekdaily,inaparalleluniverseknownas‘GreeceIs’,amagazinethatpresentsthebestthecountryhastooffer(www.greece-is.com),writingschoolbooksforMMPublicationsandworkingonanAmericannewssiteknownasGreekReporter.

“I was presenting news bulletins for the national state and television network ERT – which is the ABC of Greece.”

Regrets?Yes,leavingAustraliawassheermadness.Iseethat,now,thatIamamotheroftwotryingtoraisemydaughtersinalandofchaos.Idomissthepredictabilityofmyownupbringing.But,justasI'mabouttopickupandgohome,writerNikosKazantzakisgetsthebetterofme."Amanneedsalittlemadnessorheneverdarescuttheropeandbefree,"hewrites.Anddespitethemadness,hereIamstill,withnothoughtsofeverleaving.TheoccasionalpangofhomesicknesstendstohitasIrecalltheexquisitenessofwhatmighthavebeenhadIchosentheluckycountryoverthecrazyone.IstillwonderifI'veachievedanything.Andasforbelonging,I'mstill lookingformyIthaca,thoughtheyspellmynamerightwhenIorderpizza.

Journalist OLSH Ex-Student Mary completed Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of Education - University of Sydney

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CONNECT

Wewouldlovetohearfromyou.Whynotregisterandreceivenewsandinvitations,contactusbyemail,olshexstudents@gmail.com,orpostto,333BoxRoad,SylvaniaHeights2224.Ifyouhaveaninterestingcareerandarewillingtoshareyourstoryasapartoffutureex-students’news,pleasecontactus.Wewouldalsoliketohearaboutschoolreunions,whichwecanhelpyouadvertiseonourfacebookpage. TheOLSHEx-Students’Associationisasmallcommittee and we need your support tomaintainour current commitmentsand toexpandourconnectionsandnetworks. https://www.facebook.com/olshexstudents/ScanforourFacebookpage

Register by email to receive all the latest news and connect with the OLSH network.

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President: CatherineWallace(néeMiller) Treasurer: MaryWither(néeNeil)Secretary: Vacant–CommitteeRotation

Tobuildastrongex-students’networkand continue our work we need yoursupport and would urge you to join bycontributing an annual subscription of$15.00. Additional donationswelcome.Bankdetails:BSB062200AccountNo;10084732AccountName;OLSHCollegeEx-Students.Pleaseincludeyourfullnameandemailyourdetailsto:olshexstudents@gmail.com.

Chequespostto:Mrs.MaryWither,333BoxRoad,SylvaniaHeights2224.OLSH ex-students are invited to join thecommittee. Meetings are held at thecollegeapproximatelythreetimesayearintheevenings.Ifyouareinterested,pleasecontactusfordetails.

Schoolwebsite:www.olshkensington.catholic.edu.auUnderOurCommunity–Ex-Students.

ScanforWebsitepageWealsohaveanewblogwhereyoucanfindalltheuptodatenewsandmoreatwww.olshexstudents.wordpress.com

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“RegnetChristus”,“MaytheSacredHeartofJesusbeeverywhereloved”.