Sharing their Life after Radford with current Year 12 students

On Wednesday 12 August we hosted a virtual Life after Radford Session across two lecture theatres for our Year 12 students.

Gaj Ravichandra (Class of 1995), Dr Sally Faulks (Class of 1999), Sara Vassallo (Class of 2002) and Jessie Robinson (Class of 2010) came together to share their journeys following their time at Radford for our year 12 students.

Some highlights from the session were:

Favourite Radford Moment 

Gaj – “Mate ship, friendship and being comfortable with the uncomfortable”.

Sally – ” Year 9 camp as it was the first time I had done hiking and it was a lot of fun”.

Sara – ” Opportunities to perform and see how productions are put together. Seeing your friends everyday and appreciating the time with your friends”.

Jessie – “Foundation Day as it was different to any other day. You were able to engage in something that was outside routine which is good for your mental health”.

Inspirational Figure 

Gaj – “My Grandmother, she had her first child when she was 15 years old and from the age of 29 raised four children on her own. She has always shown resilience and mental toughness. When I feel I am having a tough time, I think of her”. “The other person I look up to is Ian Campbell . Ian was an Australian triple jumper who was denied a gold medal when he was fouled on what would’ve been a record-breaking jump during the Moscow Olympics in 1980. Ian’s life quote is “I lost the gold medal once, I won’t lose a gold medal again”.

Sally – “Each of my parents – my father is a lawyer and has shown me what being loyal means, he has remained with the same law firm for the last 40 years. My mother has had a few career changes in her time , but both have contributed to how I am and work today, being part of the Airforce has provided me with many job opportunities”.

Sara – “My Year 10 Head of Year and the fact that this teacher new all the students within my year group. It showed me the importance of knowing each student”.

Jessie – “My mother in law has Multiple sclerosis (MS) which is a chronic illness involving your central nervous system (CNS). She has been bed bound for the last 10 years. She is someone that shows me resilience and always has a positive attitude. She has shown me the importance of staying well informed and the value of being alive. Seeing another day is every reason to be thankful”. ‘I will also add, Natasha Griggs – a politician from the Northern Territory. Natasha stood up for what she believed in and understood and owned her values”.

Advice shared 

Gaj – “Be courageous in your life and take risks early. Persist on things – don’t give up! You can only control the controllables’.

Sally – ” You’ll get to where you want to, even if it is not the way you planned. Say yes to opportunities, even if it takes you in a whole new direction as it will likely end up being fantastic. You will succeed when you do something you enjoy”.

Sara – “Make the most of opportunities and don’t be afraid to fall back onto your Radford network”.

Jessie – “Be tolerant of other peoples views, understand your values but be OK that others will have different points of view. Radford offers a great base level education where you are taught to critically think and write. Don’t lose those fundamental writing skills”.

Big thank you to each of our Collegians for making this virtual session possible, the Year 12 students appreciated hearing about your journey’s from you.