Inspiring the Future: alumnae share their career paths with Middle School

The speakers, who left the College between 2011 and 2020, spoke to Year 7 to 10 girls about their studies, their work and the paths that led them there.

What stood out at this year’s event was the range of careers the speakers have chosen and the very different routes they have taken since leaving school. Several also spoke about finishing school during periods of disruption, such as the 2011 earthquakes and the 2020 COVID lockdowns, which shaped how their final year, tertiary study and career trajectory unfolded.

Courtney Prebble (Year 13, 2020) is a landscape architect at Rough Milne Mitchell. She described her work as taking the idea of an outdoor space and turning it into something meaningful for the people who use it. Courtney originally thought she wanted to be an architect, but a conversation with Careers Pathway Advisor Ms McLaughlin and a pivot because of COVID led her to Lincoln University, where she completed a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture.

Lydia Munro (Year 13, 2019) studied law and science at the University of Otago and now works as a judge's clerk in the High Court. She told the girls that what she enjoys most about her role is that she is always learning.

Sophie Norris (Year 13, 2017) is a sports physical therapist and owner of The Motion Method. She trained through the New Zealand Institute of Sport and completed a Bachelor of Sport at the University of Melbourne. At school, her favourite subjects were PE and home economics (now part of our Creative Technologies curriculum), and she loved sports days. Sophie spoke about being diagnosed with dyslexia while at school, and later with ADHD and OCD. Her advice was to stay curious and be willing to move.

Clara Gan (Year 13 IB, 2016) is a product developer at Kathmandu, after studying design at Massey University. She described her job as one that asks her to be adaptable, collaborative and organised.

Working alongside Clara at Kathmandu is Emma Green (Year 13, 2015), a senior shipping specialist with a commerce and tourism management degree from Victoria University of Wellington. Emma's role is to get the products Clara designs from manufacturers in China, Indonesia, Vietnam and Bangladesh into stores in New Zealand and Australia. She encouraged the girls to remember that kindness and empathy will get them a long way, and that the leadership roles they do or don't hold at school won't limit what they can do later on.

Dr Briar McKenzie (Year 13, 2011) is a public health researcher, lecturer and dietitian. She completed a Master of Dietetics at Otago and a PhD in Public Health at the University of New South Wales. Briar echoed Emma's message that kindness is a strength, and added the value of persistence and of seeking out good mentors.

Thank you to Courtney, Lydia, Sophie, Clara, Emma and Briar for giving their time and sharing their experiences so generously with our students. St Margaret’s is fortunate to have the support of our alumnae throughout our careers programme. They regularly return to the College to share their experiences of tertiary study, living overseas and building their careers with our current students, and to mentor their fellow alumnae.