School of Education
国民彩票 Arts, Design & Architecture is now 100K alumni strong. We spoke with some of our alumni who are making the world a better place. Here are their stories.
聽A fateful encounter
Bernard did not always have a natural inclination toward academia, but one lunchtime, his high school music teacher recognised his disengagement, handed him a CD and said, "Have you thought about music? ... Come back and have a chat." This small act showed Bernard the importance of nurturing potential and set him on a path to become one of the youngest school principals in New South Wales history.
Listening to that CD was a revelation for Bernard. The saxophone melodies of John Coltrane resonated deeply with him, even though he had no idea how to play the saxophone. He walked into his teacher's classroom for that chat and started saxophone lessons the following week. From that moment, Bernard went from a disengaged student to someone with a path and a direction.
School
Degrees
Bachelor of Education 1999,
Juris Doctor 2018
Current Title
Commercial Lawyer, Associate at Clyde & Co
Bernard playing saxophone 鈥 Image Supplied
And that came from that one interaction from a music teacher in a high school that took the time to say, 鈥楬ey!鈥欌
Accessible education
Bernard's journey at university was made possible through 国民彩票's ACCESS Scheme 鈥 a lifeline for students who have experienced long-term educational disadvantage. The scheme allows individuals with lower entrance scores to access university. When asked about his options without the ACCESS Scheme, Bernard admits, "I don't think there would have been a huge number of options, to be absolutely honest". Reflecting on its impact, Bernard describes it as "fundamentally important and life-changing". It was one of those pivotal moments, a "sliding door" opportunity that opened the path to his subsequent achievements.
For Bernard, the combined Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Education program represented an opportunity to give back and contribute positively, much like the kindness he received from his high school music teacher. While he initially grappled with the musical aspect of his degree, it was Dr Frank Murphy, a Lecturer in the School of Music, who, like his high school teacher, recognised Bernard's potential as an educator and offered a different perspective. "How about I support you in transferring to a full education degree? ... I can see you'd be an excellent teacher," he offered. Following this advice, Bernard excelled, and graduated second in his cohort.
Bernard鈥檚 Graduation Ceremony 1999 鈥 Image supplied