ESU President Update
Events are back and it’s been wonderful to enjoy each other’s company in person on the College grounds and hear the exciting buzz of the world coming back together. Our College Alumni Manager, Katrina Corcoran has been busy organising Reunions, College tours and overseeing the many events the ESU is associated with.
In early April, the ESU hosted a Networking event for the Legal Industry in the Hall & Wilcox Sydney office. This event aimed to be the first of a series of smaller networking events, where Pymble Alumni have the opportunity to connect with others in the same industry. In the first half of the evening, a short panel discussion featured Pymble Alumni including Jacqui Barrett (1996), Jennifer Degotardi (1982), Alex Letham (1993), Jasmine Logaraj (2010), and Laura Newton (2006). Key takeaways from the discussion included the importance of culture and integrity in the workplace, the power of networking, and knowing one’s value. The panel event was followed by networking between attendees and panellists over wine and canapes. There was a real sense of the Pymble community in the room. The event was a great success and a truly inspirational night.
A huge thank you to our panellists, who shared such personal experiences, insights into their careers, and thoughtful advice. We would also like to thank Hall & Wilcox’s generosity in providing us with event space and the ability to host such a wonderful evening. Thank you also to ESU Committee members Brigitte Liew and Rowena Ditzell for organising this event. Please look out for more information on future events.
‘Wow’, ‘Inspiring’, and ‘Thought provoking’ – these are just a few of the descriptions along with much laughter heard from the 280 strong audience at the recent Alumni Networking Event held at the stunning KPMG offices at Barangaroo.
A magnificent panel of Pymble ex-students had the Alumni audience completely engaged whist they discussed the power of networking, the inspiration of mentors and the twists and turns your career can take when you least expect it.
After a two-year hiatus, the ESU was very proud to host this valuable event in partnership with the College and College Chair, James Hunter. The brainchild of James and former ESU President Li-Enn Koo (1991), the aim of the event is to help accelerate the careers of Pymble graduates aged between 18 and 35 years as well as current Year 12 students.
The panel, expertly emceed by Felicity McVay (Carr, 1995) Director of Content for TicToc, included Alena Bennett (Schedlich, 1997) The CFO Boardroom/Leadership Speaker, Author, Mentor, Facilitator and Trainer, Sarah Di Lorenzo (Cassimatis, 1990) Resident Nutritionist at Weekend Sunrise and Author, and Evie Murdoch (2012) Food Agribusiness and Sustainability.
Our creative and motivating ex-students bantered for over an hour whilst entertaining and informing us about their journeys – the good, the great and sometimes the ugly. They shared what had worked for them and what hadn’t worked and how to use networking to your advantage and making the most of the connections we all have.
The opportunity to breakout into rooms and meet with leaders in specific industries was embraced by all present and the energy and laughter coming from everyone was infectious. Feedback has been very positive, and we know some valuable connections were made.
Thank you to everyone who attended, the Mentors for giving up their time and everyone at the College and KPMG who assisted to make the event such a success.
The College hosted a Morning Tea for Ex-student Mothers and Grandmothers in the Boarders Dining Hall. It was lovely to be back at school and we all enjoyed sharing ‘recess’ with our daughters and granddaughters. The girls were thrilled to hear stories from the past, particularly the lives of the boarders in the 1960s. Some of the grandmothers were stunned by the transformation of the boarders Dining Room. “It wasn’t like this in my day” and “Wow this food is delicious compared to what we ate” two of the common phrases heard. Inviting back the 2020 and 2021 leavers who missed out on the event due to Covid, made for a large crowd and a great opportunity to see and hear what some of the girls are up to now.
Term 3 promises to be just as busy with Reunions, the Commemoration Day service on Sunday 31 July and the Garden Party on Saturday 17 September. Watch out for more information on both as well as how you can be involved with the AlumNow Arts and Crafts Exhibition in November. We look forward to seeing many of you at these events.
Mrs Zoë Wang (Moore, 1994)