I have so many fond memories of my time at Clonard. I was always motivated to learn, and felt incredibly supported to embrace every opportunity. In Year 11, I had the privilege of travelling to East Timor – an experience I will always cherish. Additionally, I was fortunate to represent Clonard at World Youth Day in Poland through my role as a Liturgy Leader. Mrs Kiernan, in particular, was an absolutely incredible teacher who offered invaluable support, both in my leadership role and throughout my broader education journey. Holding a leadership position helped build my confidence and has inspired me to take on leadership positions as an adult. This has opened up so many opportunities over the years and I am very thankful to Clonard for encouraging me from the outset. 

My favourite subjects were Psychology, Health and Biology – these subjects were really useful in my first year of university! Further Maths was another subject I really enjoyed. It introduced me to the foundations of statistics — something I use quite a lot in research!

Since leaving Clonard, I completed a Bachelor of Vision Science/Master of Optometry and worked in the public health sector as an optometrist. I later returned to academia, where I was employed as a Research Fellow and Associate Lecturer in Vision Science. In March of this year, I commenced my PhD, investigating the relationship between eating disorders and ocular health. Alongside my doctoral studies, I work part-time in policy and advocacy, in addition to my role as a Teaching Fellow at Deakin University – (you might say I enjoy being busy!). In my spare time, I enjoy walking my puppy, Maple (who is a bubbly Bichon Frise x Toy Poodle) and exploring the outdoors with my family.