Collegian News

When I was in Year 10 at Toorak College we were given a careers project involving the selection of three potential professions. Mine were very eclectic: guide dog trainer, marine biologist, and lawyer. Clearly I had no clue what I wanted to be! By the time I finished school, I had done an exchange in South Africa and wanted to be a diplomat. I was told a law degree would open doors to this and other careers, so I enrolled in a combined law/arts degree. I found the study of law very tedious and…

Born in Nigeria, raised in Australia and a citizen of the Netherlands, you are a true global citizen. How did your time at Toorak influence your pathway? My career direction was decided at Toorak College when Mr. Brown told me I was about to fail chemistry. After successfully negotiating a passing grade on the promise that I would never again set foot in a chemistry lab, I studied art with Mrs. Taylor and loved it. I have fond memories of sitting in the dark looking at slides of famous works of…

I took a very long time to decide what career I wanted to pursue, mainly because I liked many of the subjects I took at school and then at university. It was a very broad selection, from chemistry through to gender politics and anthropology. I remember thinking from an early age that I wanted my career to be something that would make a difference in the world, but I had no idea how I could achieve that. The decision to focus on chemistry as a career happened very suddenly after a third-year…

What if there was a way to tackle global poverty, reduce inequality, accelerate climate action and promote peace, to improve the lives of everyone on the planet, all from a single investment? There is, and she’s right in front of you: the adolescent girl. Girls aged 10-19 are the most powerful catalysts for global change according to the UN. If every girl in the world’s developing countries was able to complete her education rather than dropping out of school, it would add billions to their…