Staying in touch with our alumni

Meg Messer (class of 2017)

Since graduating from St Mary’s College in 2017, Meg Messer has gone on to study Sports Management at the University of Minnesota in the United States. Her time overseas has brought her a new perspective on the joys of life in Tasmania.

In a recent break from her studies, Meg was able to spend some time back at her old stomping ground as a teacher’s assistant, where she enjoyed the opportunity to visit some familiar faces and see how St Mary’s College has changed over the past five years. “It’s been beautiful to catch up with my old teachers. It’s been a real joy to see how the school has developed; I feel like it’s moved in the right direction,” Meg says. With a familiar face sitting in the Principal’s office at SMC, Meg says she is “extremely glad” she had the chance to return to the College and see her Dad, Damian Messer, “in his element” as Principal. “Everyone used to tell me that Dad’s so good at what he does, and I never really got to see that. He’s certainly in the right place here at St Mary’s,” Meg admits. “Dad’s knowledge of education, and his care and compassion for students, consistently blows my mind. His servant leadership is impressive,” she says. While the arrival of COVID-19 brought some unexpected challenges to studying overseas, Meg took these new obstacles in her stride and made the most of spending a semester learning online from her home in Hobart. She juggled her full-time study alongside working as a teacher’s assistant at St Virgil’s College. Despite it being a job that she “absolutely loved”, and one which helped her develop her passion for teaching, Meg was grateful for the chance to return to Minnesota to continue her studies with a new sense of passion for her work.

In 2019, Meg received a full athletic scholarship to study overseas at the University of Minnesota. Leaving Hobart and flying 15,223 kilometres away to the prestigious University of Minnesota, where she was to join 52,000 other students, was a real change of pace for Meg. Meg says she found that being so far away from her friends and family – and experiencing a new culture and different food and weather – gave her a new appreciation for her time living in Hobart and studying at SMC. “I am just so grateful for the life we had growing up, the education we received and the world knowledge we have,” she reflects. “We are so safe down here, and we are so lucky to live in a beautiful country with healthcare that’s easily accessible and education that is just second to none. And not to mention, the beautiful scenery!” Meg says she was quick to find that winter in Minnesota can make early morning training sessions a bit of a challenge, with frozen eyelashes, snowfall and the minus 20-degree Celsius temperatures a dramatic departure from Hobart’s sunnier days. With only one year of her degree remaining, Meg is excited to return to Australia after she graduates to complete her Master’s in Education at a mainland university. Her hope is to then start a career “as a PE teacher, or maybe a sports coordinator in a rowing program back home”. Returning to St Mary’s, even if only for a short time, has allowed Meg to reflect on the supportive role the College has played in her life. “St Mary’s really gave me the chance to grow as a person and be an individual at an all-girls school, without distractions,” she says. “I’ll always be proud to be a St Mary’s girl and to be a third-generation student here is pretty cool.” Taking the lessons that she has learnt in her 13 years at St Mary’s with her across the globe, Meg has a bright future ahead as she continues to dive into every new opportunity that comes her way.

Elspeth Keele (class of 2015)

Can you tell us a bit about your job and what it involves? I am currently based in Canberra as an Air Intelligence Officer. In my role, I lead and manage a team of geospatial intelligence analysts and provide intelligence support to exercises and training. The role involves significant training and a thorough understanding of the processes and systems required. It is a very humbling role as my team are all highly trained and experts in their field. After graduating from St Mary’s College in 2015, you earned a coveted place at the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA), where you completed a Bachelor of Science through the University of New South Wales while training for the military. What was this transition like and how did you adjust to the change of pace and learning environment? Adjusting to military life was at times challenging as this was also combined with living away from home for the first time. However, I really enjoyed the structure and disciplined environment. The friends I made during my time at ADFA were also a great support network as we bonded through the shared experience – a burden shared is a burden halved!

Has your career with the military taken you to any new destinations?

One of the aspects of my job that I love is the varied nature of the role, as well as the opportunities to travel. I have been to almost every state and territory in Australia with my job, except for Western Australia and Tasmania – much to my, and my family’s, disappointment! I have also had the opportunity to travel overseas and have been to Samoa, Solomon Islands, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. My most recent trip was to the United Kingdom, where I conducted a three-week specialist training course. I was also fortunate to visit RAF Binbrook where 460SQN was based during WWII and honour the history, heritage and sacrifice made by those before me. Have you always had an interest in pursuing a career in aviation and the military? I initially became interested in the military when my brother was looking to join the Army as a dentist. I decided to research careers in the military and found out I could go to ADFA and get a fully funded undergraduate degree, get paid a salary whilst studying, gain some completely unique life experience compared to my peers and be challenged physically and mentally. It was the perfect fit for me as I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, but it excited and motivated me more than any of the other career paths I had researched. So I thought, why not? You have continued to further your training and education and are now studying for your Masters in Space Operations, which you are completing on a parttime basis. Do you have any other long-term goals or aspirations for the future? Some goals that I would like to work towards are taking on an instructional role, as I think it would be incredibly rewarding teaching others and passing on my experience and knowledge. The future of space in Australia is also very exciting, so I am definitely interested in pursuing space-related roles too. How did St Mary’s College help you and your learning endeavours?

Studying at SMC helped to prepare me for university as I was able to develop a strong work ethic and good time management. I’d like to personally shout out to Mr Fracalossi (who I know is now retired), but he was definitely one of my most influential teachers. I owe a lot of my work ethic and my success in my chemistry degree to him. I also think that juggling many commitments at SMC (school sport, extra curriculars, band, etc.) set me up for the fast pace of ADFA. What it didn’t set me up for was all of the burpees… What advice would you give to current Year 12 students?

My advice would be that it is OK to have your whole future planned out, but equally, it is OK to not know what you want to do. I still have not quite figured that out, and I may never. I would encourage you to explore something that excites you and that you are passionate about, and not something that you just think you ‘should’ be doing. It is also OK to be different and to want – and prioritise – different things in your life compared to others. I joined the military because I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and it provided me with something exciting – a challenge, as well as some amazing life experiences which have set me up for the future in whatever endeavour I choose to do next.

You can achieve great things if you put your mind to it. Remember, you may not be able to control many things in your life, but you can always control your attitude.

Sophie Fahey (class of 2010)

You have been working in human resources since graduating from university in 2014, most recently in your role as Diversity and Inclusion Specialist. What does this entail?

I work with organisations to create more inclusive and equitable workplaces where employees can feel safe, valued and a sense of belonging. A lot of what I do is working with employees and senior leadership to understand the organisation and its desired diversity and inclusion goals and then develop strategies and action plans to deliver on these goals. What led you to choose this career pathway? I always knew I wanted a career that supported women in some shape or form, but I didn’t really know what kind of job that was. Over time, I took opportunities and found that human resources was a pathway, and eventually took on a role as a Diversity and Inclusion Specialist. It’s a career path with no right or wrong directions. What goals did you set yourself when you finished Year 12 and/or university and have you stuck to that plan? I have not stuck to many of my goals, and as a goal-driven person, that has been terrifying for me. I knew exactly what I wanted to do while at St Mary’s – go to university to study law and make the world a more equitable place … How very utopian of me! I quickly learned that law was not the right path for me. I ended up finishing university with an Arts/Social Science degree and soon after started post-graduate study in human resource management. One thing I have stuck to has been lifelong learning. Each year I try to study a little more, whether that be personal development in the form of becoming a 200-hour YTT yoga instructor or professional development in leadership coaching or human centered design. You describe yourself as a ‘fierce advocate for inclusion and gender equality’. Why is this important to you and how does this inform your work? We all have the capacity to be kind, to work towards creating a more equitable world where we can all thrive in our own unique way; everyone deserves this, and everyone deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential. It is for all these reasons and more that I chose this path professionally and why I love being on the Board of Dress for Success (DFS) Hobart and am so passionate about its mission. DFS is a local not-for-profit organisation; we empower women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional clothing and the development of tools to help them thrive in work and life. What do you hope to achieve in the future (professionally and/or personally)? I have two young daughters who have really changed my perspective on work and life. Professionally, I want to continue to do the work I am doing, but I hope to do more work remotely to spend as much time with my family as possible. I want Nellie and Bowie to grow up experiencing different cultures and ways of life. My husband, Chris and I will continue to work in a way that allows us to have these opportunities. You have maintained a link to St Mary’s College through your parents – both your mum and dad have worked with the College over the years. What are your strongest memories of your time at St Mary’s? The sense of community and friendships formed. I believe a big part of the reason why I chose my path professionally and feel so passionately about supporting women is due partly to the educators at St Mary’s. I truly valued the respect between educators and students, with a few teachers being mentors and role models in my life. What advice would you give to students looking to pursue a similar career path to your own? Not all career paths are obvious – be open to opportunities even if they aren’t exactly what you want or imagine. Be prepared to invest in yourself personally and professionally. Be open minded with your learning. Life doesn’t always go in a straight line. You can take many detours and may end up exactly where you are meant to be.

What are your passions or interests outside of work? Adventures with my family, camping, bushwalking and spending as much time at the beach as possible (living in Tassie, this last one can sometimes be hard).

Sidney Goram-Aitken (class of 2014)

Firstly, congratulations on completing your law degree and welcome to the workforce! What have the past few years looked like for you? I started my law degree in 2018, so it has been approximately five years of study altogether. It has been a long and tiring slog as I worked fulltime while studying my Bachelor of Laws full time. I am glad the pre-exam allnighters are now over! I completed my internship at the North Australian Aboriginal Family Legal Practice (NAAFLS) and accepted a graduate role in February 2022 as a paralegal. After completing my graduate diploma of legal practice while working full time as a paralegal, I was then formally admitted to the legal profession as a lawyer in August of this year. I am now a domestic violence and family lawyer at NAAFLS and service six remote communities in the Northern Territory – the most well-known of which is the sunny Tiwi Islands, which is the northern most tip of Australia.

Can you tell us a bit about your current role and what it entails?

My role entails helping victims of domestic violence apply for domestic violence orders, helping parents reunite with their children after their children have been taken into care, helping parents with custody disputes and helping people with criminal victim compensation matters. Although I work some of the time in Darwin, occasionally I travel to remote communities to participate in ‘bush courts’ too.

I also run community legal education clinics in remote communities, such as in schools, women’s shelters, health clinics and universities. These clinics aim to help indigenous people living in remote communities learn about the Australian legal system and what their rights are when they may be having legal troubles. What are the most rewarding and challenging aspects of your job? The hardest part of my job is seeing the mountain of injustices that Aboriginal people face daily. These are often injustices that trace right back to white settlement in Australia. Although everyone knows the names of people such as Jill Meagher, Hannah Clarke or Eurydice Dixon, nobody knows the names of the countless indigenous women and children that are facing domestic violence in the top end of Australia. They often have little support services in their communities to assist them and often feel they have absolutely nowhere to turn to seek assistance. A 2019 report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found that indigenous women aged over 15 years are 34 times more likely to be hospitalised for family violence than non-indigenous females. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are 11 times more likely to die due to an assault. They are reported as being the most persecuted race in the whole world. My job often leaves me feeling angry at the supposed ‘lucky country’ that we live in. I often feel a sense of guilt for the privileged and fortunate upbringing I had in Hobart. The most rewarding part of my job is being able to help people and make them aware of their rights. A lot of people who have been victims of violent crimes don’t know that they are eligible for compensation as a result of their horrific injuries; a lot of women don’t know that they don’t have to stay in a relationship that is abusive and there are legal avenues that can help them leave their partner, and a lot of people don’t know that they can fight to get their children back when they have been suddenly taken into state care. Helping people see that brighter days lie ahead is the best part of my job! Have you always wanted to pursue a career in law? Who or what inspired you to choose this pathway? I was inspired to study law after completing Legal Studies in Year 12 at St Mary’s. Mrs Deconinck was my teacher, and she took us on the most fantastic excursions and experiences. We got to visit the Risdon Prison Complex, spend a day with a prosecutor at the Hobart Magistrates Court (which was amazing!); we had the Governor (Kate Warner) visit and present to our class, and we had Tasmania Police deliver a talk about the process of arrest. It was fantastic!

When I was in Year 12, I was unsure of what I wanted to pursue in the future. Legal Studies definitely cemented that I wanted to be working somewhere within the law. Do you recall any memorable advice you received from a teacher during your time here that has stayed with you? Yes, I remember Mrs Deconinck always told our Legal Studies class that if we pushed ourselves and liked what we were pursuing, then the sky was the limit! What did you most like about St Mary’s College? I loved that I always felt supported in whatever I chose to do or pursue. Whether it was through the support of teachers and friends coming to watch our school basketball, soccer or softball games, or teachers agreeing to meet during lunchtime or after school to help with work we were finding challenging. As a Year 11 and 12 student, I never felt like I was lacking in support or help, and that is one thing that I look back upon fondly.