What did you do straight after finishing school?
After finishing school I went straight into working, pretty much full-time hours, up until Uni started up, but also made lots of time to enjoy summer with friends and family whom I didn’t give the time to during the last of the school year that was Year 12. I got to enjoy a nice week away with my friends to QLD at the beginning of 2024 as our ‘Year 12 trip’ which was incredibly fun.
What are you doing currently?
Right now, I’m studying a Bachelor of Criminology and Bachelor of Law at Deakin, which I’m entering my second year of. I’m also working for Khrma Clothing and bartending on weekends over the summer.
How did you find the transition from school to either work or further study?
It was… strange. Uni was not really what I expected. Making friends was easier for me than maybe others since I have two of my closest friends from school in my course, so we made friends all together which was super nice. The workload is a lot, especially with a content heavy course, however it was manageable. The main difference was the lack of help you receive from lecturers in comparison to your high school teachers, it’s sort of just you, your mate and the textbook for help!
I broke my wrist on my mid-year break, so I think that made the year harder since everything took ten times longer to do.
What subjects or experiences at Clonard helped you to get to where you are now?
For me, being school captain helped shape my social skills and ability to communicate with lecturers etc so well. It also helped me with securing another job since I could learn quick and on the spot and quickly become adapted to the workplace. It also helped me create good time management skills, even if that meant slotting in a few late nights at the library if it meant my assignment would be in on time! Legal studies obviously is a subject that helped me lots, thank you Mr McCallum!
What are your hopes for the future?
Hopefully in the next 12-18 months I can pick up a job in the legal profession as a receptionist or paralegal to give me a kickstart into the field of law! By the time I finish Uni, I’d love to have done some travelling, but also be in the position to start work as a solicitor and be moving into my own home (as much as I love mum’s cooking)!
Ava Hyland – Class of 2023
