Inspiring the future - career mentoring at SMC

At our recent careers event, Inspiring the Future, our Middle School girls heard from eight inspiring young women, including six St Margaret’s College Old Girls, who are following a diverse range of careers and who generously shared their goals, their experiences of further education, and their values.

• Standing in a stream Lucy Barltrop (Y13 2018) found her passion for aquatic ecology, now one of her favourite jobs is salvaging and moving fish to safer environments. “If you know what’s in a stream the more likely you are to care.”
• Holly Wild (Y13 2018) is an urban planner working for a renewable energy developer based in Japan. Holly cut her teeth working on The Line a net zero future city development in Saudi Arabia.
• Helping pregnant mums and babies to be their most healthy selves is a passion for Dr Serena Willis (Y13 2017) using her skills as a chiropractor she is committed to wellness care and holistic healthcare.
• YeJin Cho (Y13 2016) advocates for women in tech,  as a data analyst specialist for Spark NZ she is helping businesses make smart decisions using data. Working part of the year in her home country Korea, Ye Jin says using her job skills to be able to work remotely has been an upside to her career choice.
• From a farming background, boarder and Head of Konini Grace Davies (Y13 2016) has found herself in the fast paced property fund management business. Head of Investor Relations at Mainland Capital she is also a member of the UC Business Club inspiring young women to think about property investment as a career.
• Charlotte Jackson (Y13 2011) started at SMC in Y2 and wanted to be a ballerina. Unfortunately an injury when she was 15 changed her dream. With a passion for art and creativity Charlotte is a women in business running Charlie Rose Creative as a freelance photographer.

Our SMC Old Girls were also joined by Molly Whitaker, a 19 year old pilot and adventurer, and Chelsea Rapp, Chairperson of NZ Game Developers Association, Head of Strategy for Cerebral Fix, and Programme Manager & Games Ambassador for the University of Canterbury. 

Career mentoring is just one of the ways in which our Old Girls maintain their connections back to St Margaret’s College and support and nurture our current students.

If you would be interested sharing your expertiese and skills to one of our younger Old Girls' please contact us at smcoga@stmargarets.school.nz