International Women’s Day
The college celebrated International Women’s day on Wednesday 8 March with students participating in class activities relating to this year’s theme “Cracking the code: Innovation for a gender equal future”.
In mathematics classes, students took a deeper look at international women’s day. 8E researched female mathematicians in groups and created a website to help us learn about the important contributions women have made to the field of mathematics.
Check out their work here: https://sites.google.com/stalbanssc.vic.edu.au/female-mathematicians8e/home
Ms Tessa Gould – Numeracy Coordinator
International Women’s Day Breakfast – Monash Univeristy
I was privileged enough to be invited as a guest of Monash University’s Business School, Monash Arts and Monash Law Faculties, to attend their International Women’s Day Breakfast. I was asked to select a student to accompany me and after consulting with VCE Business, Commerce and Legal teachers and Senior School Coordinators, Chanel Trpovski of Year 12 was invited and accepted the invitation.
The breakfast was held in the RACV Club in Bourke Street, Melbourne; it was a well-attended event and we were excited to hear from the esteemed guest speakers about their journeys as women in leadership positions; they were all Monash University Alumni and were inspiring to listen to. The theme for this year’s celebration was #EmbraceEquity.
The guest speakers included Gabrielle Williams, MP. Gabrielle is the Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Ambulance Services and Minister for Treaty and First People, so she has a large, varied and very busy portfolio to manage. The next speaker was Kylie Watson-Wheeler who is Senior Vice President and Managing Director for the Walt Disney Company Australia and NZ and the President/Chair, Western Bulldogs. Kylie was inspirational and she relayed the journey of the athletes involved in forming the AFLW and her involvement with them in the filming of the documentary ‘Fearless’; she discussed strategies used in overcoming bias and barriers that were constantly put in the way of forming the AFLW. The final guest speaker was Bedi Othow, Acting head of Corporate Services, Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission and Co-Founder, DivTal (Diverse Talent) a job connection service for connecting Black, Indigenous, People of Colour (BIPOC) job candidates to inclusive employers who want to diversify their talent pool. Betty is an immigrant from Africa and is also Monash Alumni; she sees opportunities are there to be seized, sets herself goals and helps others overcome barriers to success. These three women were so inspiring and it was an honour to listen to them present and describe their leadership strategies and how they operate when facing barriers in their careers and personal journeys.
We were one of only three schools invited to attend this event and were seated with the School Leaders and Careers Coordinator from Langwarrin Secondary College and Monash Student Liaison, Damian Stawiszynski, (who also happens to be an Alumni of SASC!). The food was very nice and Chanel and I enjoyed networking with those at our table and with Beddi Othow after the formalities.
A fabulous way to celebrate International Women’s Day and to acknowledge the opportunities women have in Australia (as opposed to other parts of the world) indeed.
Cathy Armstrong – Careers/Pathways/VET Coordinator
International Women’s Day Breakfast – Monash Univeristy
What an amazing day! This year, I had the incredible opportunity to attend a breakfast for International Women’s Day as a guest of the Monash Arts/Business and Law faculty held at the RACV club in Melbourne with Ms Catherine Armstrong.
International Women’s Day celebrates the achievements of women and the women’s rights movement, and recognises issues such as gender equality, violence and abuse against women and access to education. The theme this year was “Cracking the code: Innovation for a gender equal future.” I truly believe that this was not only explored but embraced this International Women’s Day.
Besides the immaculate layout of the RACV club itself, the upstairs function room was filled with people talking and laughing and some of the most inspiring women of modern day. We sat at a table with a SASC alumni who is currently a Monash Liaison, Damian Stawiszynski and a careers coordinator and two students from Langwarrin Secondary College. Even though barely anybody in the room knew each other, it did not take long to become acquainted, with smiling faces and friendly personalities in every direction.
There were a number of guest speakers each with their own unique story to tell. Bedi Othow was one of them. She is the acting head of Corporate Services, Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission and Co-Founder of DivTal (HR Specialists). Through her vibrant personality, Bedi encourages us to not only break through the “glass ceiling” but to “create our own ceiling[s].” What an extraordinary statement! The silence that engulfed the room only confirmed it. She emphasised the need for all voices to be heard and if you notice that one is missing, stop and say “this decision is not being made until that voice is here,” shining a light on the need for women’s voices to be heard and raising awareness on intersectionality and the need to have everyone’s voices heard regardless of where we come from. Ms Armstrong and I had the pleasure of meeting Bedi after her speech where she shared some of her experiences and words of wisdom with me including urging me to pursue my dreams and “create my own ceiling.”
Another speaker was Kylie Watson-Wheeler who is the Senior Vice President and Managing Director of the Walt Disney Company in Australia and New Zealand and President of the Western Bulldogs Football club. Kylie spoke of the progression of women, particularly in sport, and the recent attempts of inclusion from various organisations such as the AFLW. Just sitting there, watching the video of the athletes preparing for a game and hearing about Kylie’s own rise made me appreciate the lengths to which women have gone to be recognised in society and achieve that to which they aspire. Society has become more inclusive but as Kylie said, “We still have a long way to go,” but that’s okay, we can do it together.
The last speaker that I will mention is Harriet Shing, the Minister of Parliament for water, regional development, the Commonwealth Games Legacy and Equality. She reminded us of the influence that both women in power have and that each of us have on each other’s lives. Being the Minister alone sends a strong message: women can go as far as anyone else and can be in positions of power and influence. Minister Shing stresses that we need to work together to close pay gaps and enter workforces where there may be an underrepresentation of women. Why not be that role model for someone else? I feel that there is no doubt that together we can make all of this possible.
To bring this to a close, a few takeaways of the many from this morning: everyone has a prominent influence in society whether it be because you’re in a position of power or because you inspire your younger siblings to become their absolute best!
I’d like to thank Ms Armstrong for asking me to accompany her to the event and thank Damien for having us. It truly was an honour to be present at such a momentous occasion in modern society. I believe that we are one step closer to a future recognising equality and equal opportunity.
Chanel Trpovski – Year 12 Student
