Alumni

After graduating, I was keen to do something more than just the usual gap year of working or travel – I wanted real-life experience, something that would challenge me and help me grow. With a few family members already in the Australian Defence Force (ADF), I knew about the unique opportunities it could offer, and that path really resonated with me.

I enlisted at the beginning of last year, looking for a sense of direction and purpose post-graduation. The application process was intense -fitness tests, interviews, medical checks, and more paperwork than I thought possible – but every stage pushed me in ways I hadn’t expected. It taught me resilience and discipline and gave me a goal to strive for.

The biggest challenge so far? Definitely basic training. Living with 70 people from all walks of life, adapting to military routine, learning protocols, handling weapons systems—it was a shock to the system. But there was method in the madness. One of my proudest moments came after a grueling six-night field exercise in the freezing Wagga winter. We endured wet, cold trenches, long days, barely three hours of sleep a night, and even survived on expired M&Ms at one point. But finishing that exercise and realising what we’d accomplished together was a turning point – it showed me how far we could push ourselves and how much we could rely on each other.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned since leaving school, it’s that there’s no single “right” path after graduation. Plans are important, but so is flexibility. Life throws unexpected opportunities your way, and being open to them is often where the real growth happens.

While I was studying at The Knox School, I was confused and unsure about what I wanted to pursue after graduation. I enjoyed chemistry and maths – but did I want to make a career out of them? At the time, probably not. Still, I kept my head down and focused on achieving a good ATAR to keep my options open. After graduation I chose to study a Bachelor of Science with a major in Chemistry. I thought it was the safest decision – a degree with lots of avenues.

My first year of university was enjoyable. I loved the new environment, the people, and the freedom. But in my second year, I hit some hurdles. I started asking myself: Is science really what I want to do? I didn’t enjoy the lectures anymore. Maybe I had lost interest, or maybe it was just the overwhelming nature of uni life – where you’re constantly discovering new things, including yourself. The turning point came when I visited my home country, Nepal. Seeing kids without access to basic education hit me hard. It made me realise how fortunate I am to even have the opportunity to learn. When I returned, I started taking my education more seriously – not out of pressure, but out of gratitude.

Soon after, I landed an internship at Boron Molecular. It was my first real-world experience. It was tough. I even questioned whether chemistry was really for me. But I kept showing up and I had a supportive manager, which made all the difference. After a year, I got a job as a chemist at Cleanaway and I’m the happiest I’ve been in a long time. Not just because of the job, but because of who I’ve become through the journey. Overcoming adversity because I didn’t give up is one of the most rewarding feelings. I believe that’s a version of self-love – the kind that comes from staying true to yourself.

Here’s what I’ve learned: You don’t need to have it all figured out. In fact, you never truly will – and that’s okay. The only guarantee is that if you keep showing up, stay curious, and stay true to who you are, you’ll grow into someone stronger, wiser, and more fulfilled. It’s normal to feel lost. It’s normal to question your path. Trust the process. Be grateful. Carry yourself with integrity. Be kind.

What I’m most proud of isn’t the degree or the job – it’s my ability to never give up, and to give myself credit where it’s due. It’s not corny or cringe to acknowledge your own growth – it’s healthy. We aren’t defined by achievements, but by who we are. It’s about the person you become while chasing those achievements that matters more.

Some of my fondest memories from my time at TKS are doing classes with friends. I miss it so much. To the students there now: please, be present. Enjoy every bit of the experience. I’d do anything to go back and be that kid again – walking into his first chemistry lesson, full of hope and curiosity.

And finally – thank you, Ms Ashok. You were the best teacher I could’ve ever asked for!

A day in my life at The Knox School was always a busy one. I either had a violin, theatre script or hockey stick on me at any given moment, ready to give my all to the robust Performing Arts and Sports programs. My strongest subjects, English and Literature, were nurtured by exceptional and encouraging teachers, who were instrumental in my development and taught me that life is about reading deeper than just what’s written on a page.

Fast forward to 2025, I am beginning a career in Journalism, and I know the talents I refined and interests I cultivated in high school play a fundamental role in how I operate in a newsroom.

Upon graduating, I studied a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and International Studies, which aligned with my interests, but I found I lost a sense of direction. After finishing, I packed up my bags and went solo travelling. When I returned, my career vision was reinvigorated, and I wanted to pursue a job where I could do what I loved about travelling: meeting new people, discovering different places, and telling stories. That’s when I enrolled in a Master of Media and Communication at Monash University.

In less than a year, I landed a role in Toowoomba, a town outside Brisbane, as a Television Reporter for Seven News. A foreign correspondent once told me starting out is like a baptism by fire – and that couldn’t have been more true. I am proud of myself for entering an unfamiliar environment, learning on my feet, living alone in a new place, and giving my best effort to share the stories of the Darling Downs region and beyond. There were countless examples of courageous people doing good in their community, especially during deep troughs of hardship. Those are the stories I cherish, and I will never forget what a privilege it was to serve as a voice for them.

My ultimate advice is to go for it! Chase your dreams! Ask the question. Even if you aren’t sure you are on the right path, trust that your efforts will eventually lead you to something that feels right. Be open to learning but know when to back yourself with grace and tact in the face of adversity. It’s important to stand your ground and be confident but remember to be kind and empathetic. Pick yourself up when you make a mistake and own your decisions. The more life you live, the better informed you will be and thus the richer your stories.

The Knox School is truly a place to seek knowledge and understanding, bolstered by remarkable staff who care about their students and work hard to maintain a high-quality education. Through their efforts, the foundations for my ability to achieve my goals were laid and for that, I am sincerely grateful.

When I think back on my time at The Knox School, what stands out most isn’t a single moment, but the sense that I was encouraged to explore who I was and what I loved. TKS was a place where I had room to be creative, to try different things, and to follow interests that didn’t always fit neatly into a traditional pathway, something I didn’t realise at the time would shape my future so strongly.

Some of my fondest memories come from being involved in theatre and music. TKS fostered an environment where creativity was valued, and where students were supported in pursuing their passions alongside academic study.

Whilst I was deeply involved in the performing arts, I always thought I might become a veterinarian. It was a career option that sat quietly in the background throughout high school, alongside my love of theatre and music. My subject choices didn’t look like what you might expect for someone who would eventually enter veterinary medicine, but I enjoyed school and did well because I was studying what I loved. Looking back, that balance made all the difference and I wouldn’t do anything different now.

After graduating from TKS, I chose to follow the performing arts path first and completed a degree in Music Theatre. Rather than being a detour, it became a vital part of my journey. Studying Music Theatre taught me discipline, resilience, collaboration, and how to perform under pressure, skills that continue to serve me every day in my work as a veterinarian. Over time, that long-held interest in animal health and welfare came back into focus, and I made the decision to pursue Veterinary Science. It wasn’t a straight path, and it required additional study, persistence, and a willingness to change direction, but it led me exactly where I needed to be. Today, I work as a small animal veterinarian in a leadership role that is both challenging and deeply rewarding.

Theatre, however, has never left my life, and I wouldn’t want it to. Performing remains a massive part of who I am. Most recently, I performed in & Juliet at the National Theatre in St Kilda, and I’m currently preparing to perform in the upcoming Melbourne International Comedy Festival in April.

If I could offer any advice to current students, it would be that you don’t have to have everything figured out right now. Explore your interests, commit to the things you love, and trust that the skills you gain along the way will be valuable, even if their purpose isn’t immediately clear. Success isn’t about choosing the perfect path from the start. It’s about building a life that feels fulfilling, sustainable, and true to who you are. The Knox School gave me the space to explore both academia and creativity, and that foundation has allowed me to build a career I love while still holding onto the passions that make me who I am, and for that, I’m incredibly grateful.

Ever since my time at The Knox School, I have always been drawn to understanding the way things work, asking questions, solving problems, and challenging myself both academically and personally. TKS fostered an environment where I could be myself and not be afraid to put myself out there. Through many opportunities including leadership positions and exciting, engaging classes, I could develop confidence and the ability to collaboratively grow. Since graduating, that mindset has shaped the pathway I have taken into chemical engineering at RMIT University.

During my time at RMIT, I have been fortunate to become deeply involved in the engineering community. One of my proudest achievements was winning the HERCULES challenge, a multi-disciplinary humanitarian engineering competition that requires teamwork, innovation, and most importantly, working alongside communities to help solve challenges. This experience pushed me outside my comfort zone and showed me how powerful collaborative engineering can really be when people from multiple backgrounds come together and work towards a shared goal.

Alongside my studies, I also began tutoring within RMIT’s award-winning Introduction to Professional Engineering Practice Program, supporting engineering students as they transition into university and the world of engineering. Teaching others has strengthened my own understanding of engineering whilst allowing me to mentor students as they build confidence in their abilities and learn the power engineers hold.

Most recently, I had the opportunity to complete an internship at the Ernest Henry copper-gold mine with Evolution Mining. Working in the processing concentrator as a metallurgist is an experience that was technically challenging and extremely rewarding. A major highlight was running a metallurgical project focusing on optimising plant gold recoveries, where I conducted laboratory-scale experiments aimed at generating insights that could be applied to the plant operations.

Looking back, each experience since leaving TKS including study, real-life engineering projects, tutoring, and industry placement, has built upon the foundation I developed during my time at school. I have learned that growth often comes from the opportunities you say yes to, even when they feel challenging or unfamiliar.

My advice to past, current, and future students is to stay curious and be willing to say yes to new things, even if you don’t feel completely ready, because believe me, you never feel ready. Ask questions and learn from the people around you. You don’t need to have everything figured out straight away, and direction often comes from taking a leap at the opportunities in your path.

I graduated from The Knox School in 2002 and have very fond memories of my time there. I was heavily involved in the school: various sports, debating, public speaking, concert band, musicals. I remember it being a supportive and nurturing environment where I was encouraged to think big and given many opportunities to discover my strengths.

In part because I enjoyed debating, public speaking, and studying the humanities in school (including philosophy and legal studies), after graduation I completed a combined Arts/Law degree at the University of Melbourne. I then worked for a few years as a lawyer at large law firms in the city (focusing on employment and anti-discrimination law) before I moved to the United States to complete a Master of Laws (LLM) degree at NYU School of Law.

I ended up staying in the US and have been here for nearly 13 years, where I now work as the executive director of a research centre at NYU Law called the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging. This has been a wonderful way to deepen the research and writing skills that I first developed at Knox, and has afforded me the opportunity to write two books with the centre’s faculty director, Kenji Yoshino: Say the Right Thing: How to Talk About Identity, Diversity, and Justice (released in 2023), and How Equality Wins: A New Vision for an Inclusive America (released in 2026).

I also have an American husband, Andrew, and two sons in primary school, Hugo and Theodore.

If I were to offer advice to current students, I would say three things.

First, get involved in as many activities as you can to discover your talents and passions, whether it’s different sports, musical instruments, performing arts, debating, or anything else. School is a time to get out of your comfort zone and experiment.

Second, have a rough plan of where you’d like to go after you graduate so that you have a sense of direction, but remain open to unexpected possibilities. In high school I wanted to become a high school teacher or philosophy professor, but ended up a lawyer. I thought I’d spend my whole life in Melbourne but ended up in the United States. I didn’t even study anti-discrimination law in my law degree but ended up specialising in that area. I rarely meet any middle-aged adult who is doing exactly what they expected to be doing when they were in high school.

Third, think broadly about what your time at school can teach you. If you think of school as just giving you a set of technical skills for a career, you’ll miss what I’ve found to be vastly more important, which is capabilities that you can apply across your whole life: a love of learning, critical thinking skills, empathy, curiosity, respect for diversity, the ability to be an active and engaged citizen. Learning how to think has, for me, been more fundamental than the contents of any specific subject I’ve studied.

Looking back at my time at The Knox School, I remember it as a place that really let me explore who I was. Coming to Australia in 2017 from China to start high school was a big shift, but TKS provided a supportive environment that helped me find my feet. I always had an interest in how things worked and how logic applied to the world, which naturally led me toward technology and IT.

When I was in school, I knew I wanted to do something technical. After graduating, I went on to study Computing and Software development at the University of Melbourne, graduating in 2023. Today, I work as a software engineer. It’s a career that demands a lot of focus and analytical thinking, which I find really rewarding. It wasn’t necessarily a “winding” path, but I’ve learned that a professional career is just one part of a person’s identity.

Outside of my 9-to-5, my life is a bit louder. I’ve always been passionate about motorcycles, and that interest has evolved into competitive racing. A major milestone for me was competing in my first round of the Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) at Phillip Island recently. It’s a huge challenge to balance the technical demands of software engineering with the physical and mental intensity of racing at that level. But strangely, they both require the same thing: total precision.

If I could give one piece of advice to students at TKS right now, it would be this: You don’t have to choose between being “practical” and following your passion. I think there’s often a lot of pressure to pick a “right” path and stick to it. My experience has shown me that you can be a dedicated professional during the week and still pursue something completely “wild” on the weekends.

Success isn’t just about your job title; it’s about building a life where you have the space to do both. Don’t be afraid to have interests that don’t “fit” together on paper – those are usually the things that make your journey the most interesting!

I started at The Knox School in 1982, the very first year the school opened. Back then, it was just one building with a few portables and lots of blackberry bushes surrounding us. Over the years, I watched the school grow alongside me as the Senior School buildings and Auditorium were constructed, though many of the facilities we have today were still just plans when I graduated in 1994.

I loved my time at TKS and threw myself into everything I could – Rock Eisteddfods, School Sports, Plays, and even Debating. I wasn’t particularly good at any of them, but I loved being involved and having School Spirit!
Of all the memories I have, one stands out above the rest. At the end of Year 11, a small group of us, led by our favourite teacher Mr. Spagnol, travelled to the USA as part of the G’day USA exchange program with schools from around Australia. We visited San Francisco, LA, and San Diego, where we stayed with host families and attended school for a week. This was before the internet, so it was eye-opening to discover how little Americans (even the teachers) knew about Australia. This trip cemented my love for travel and shaped nearly 20 years of my career.

I had just turned 17 when I finished Year 12 and didn’t apply to university or TAFE. Instead, I fell into an AFL traineeship at North Melbourne Football Club, where I worked for three years while studying Sport and Recreation. Once I completed my studies, I resigned and went on an adventure. When I returned from a three-month European trip with my boyfriend (now husband), I started at Flight Centre and worked my way from Consultant to Manager, then into head office as a Product Development Manager before spending almost 10 years in Learning and Development.

Turning 40 was pivotal – I decided to venture beyond Flight Centre and explore new opportunities. I’ve worked across many companies in L&D and Sales Leadership, and I’ve now been at Optus for nearly six years, holding five different roles that have led me to the Small Business Strategy team. The travel industry is still close to my heart and travelling remains one of my favourite pastimes – I’ve been lucky enough to visit almost 50 countries!

I wasn’t the best student academically, but what I did possess was a strong work ethic and an ability to learn quickly and adapt at pace. I’m so grateful for my time at TKS – I still attend all the Reunions and have lifelong friends from those years. It was the only School I ever knew, and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

I was always fairly certain working in sport was something I was passionate about and now, a decade after graduating, I find myself juggling two careers in the industry. Behind the scenes as a Sport Scientist, specialising in endurance and ultra-endurance physiology, and on the field as an AFL Field Umpire.

The best learnings from my time at school were by far the guidance to develop frameworks for critical thinking and problem solving, to ultimately reach accurate and timely conclusions. It’s these skills that have held me in good stead in both careers, ensuring I have the skillset to effectively research and analyse human performance, to positively impact athlete training and performance, then flip the switch to make accurate decisions when umpiring at breakneck speed and under immense pressure.

I’m also grateful for the numerous opportunities TKS provided me to nurture my leadership skills, which have been vitally important in both my careers to achieve what I have to this point.

One of my Principals always use to remind us to chase what we enjoy doing and the school would support us to get there. A mentality of ‘if you love it, you’ll find a way to do it and achieve with it’. I probably didn’t fully understand at the time how that related to my umpiring life, but on reflection that simple influence of being encouraged to pursue my passion, left its mark when it came to the resilience, persistence and the patience required to do the hard work to progress to VFL level, and now I have the privilege to officiate the best of the best.

A lot of who I’ve been able to become now has stemmed from the foundations laid by my time at TKS, and for that I couldn’t be more thankful.