Alumni Advantage Program
The Alumni Advantage Program is a professional development program for students and graduates of the University of Newcastle.
Each program event will provide a forum for our future and current graduates to discuss relevant issues affecting their chosen industry. Each event will have a different topic for discussion and will be hosted by a different school or faculty in the University.
Read on for more information on future events and comments from past events.
Tuesday 28 August 2012
Topic - "How to turn a Biomedical Science or Pharmacy Degree into a rewarding career"
School of Biomedical Science and Pharmacy, Faculty of Health
Thank you to our four graduate speakers; Richard Buckley (Master of Pharmacy), Dr Gough Au ( PhD, Bachelor of Biomedical Science - Honours), Aimee Kraus (Master of Pharmacy) and Ross Cairns (Master of Pharmacy, Bachelor of Medical Radiation Science) who volunteered their time to share their expertise and experience with Biomedical Science and Pharmacy Students.
Richard, Gough, Aimee and Ross highlighted that within the Biomedical Science and Pharmacy fields there will be many opportunities and everyone will take a different path. It is important to make sure you utilise the people around you and explore all your options to ensure you working in a job that you love and on your way to a rewarding career.
Here's some of the feedback we recieved from students who attended the event;
It was a great opportunity for me to hear from a number of university graduates who were in my position of study at Newcastle University not so long ago, and see what paths they have all taken. As a student from a non-science family it was really great to see where my chosen area of study at Newcastle University can take me and the myriad paths I can take in the future. It really helped to give me a sense of direction and also support from the university. It showed me that there are groups like the UoN Alumni Network that can help me get where I want to go - Eleanor
I found the breakfast this morning awesome. Really a nice way to talk to people in a semi-informal way – Grace
I really enjoyed the Biomedical Science and Pharmacy Advantage breakfast this morning. I thought the breakfast would have benefitted from having more speakers from other areas such as research and past biomed students who have gone on to do things like public health and postgraduate medicine. However, the speakers that presented today were excellent, and the event as a whole was a wonderful opportunity - Hannah
Thank you to all the students and graduates who attended.
This event was bought to you by the Executive Committee of Alumni and the School of Biomedical Science and Pharmacy.
Monday 20 August 2012
Topic - 'From Graduate to Professional"
School of Medicine & Public Health, Faculty of Health
A big thank you to our graduate speaker Dr Julia Brotherton (Bachelor of Medicine) for braving the early morning cold and speaking to 40 Medicine students about her research in the National Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination Program.
Dr Brotherton also shared her journey from gradute to successful industry professional and encouraged students to find something that you are passionate about and pursue your career in that area.
Thank you to all the students and graduates who attended.
This event was bought to you by the Executive Committee of Alumni and the School of Medicine and Public Health.
Wednesday 8 August 2012
Topic - "A profession in the spotlight - The highs and lows of a Communications career"
School of Design, Communication and IT, Faculty of Science and Information Technology.
Thank you to our four insightful Communications gradutate speakers; Jamie Lewis (Out of the Square), Matthew Gain (Edelman), Candice Ward (Freelance) and Anthony Scully (ABC) for sharing their knowledge with 60 Communications students.
Lots of helpful hints were shared including;
- Building networks and keeping connections that you make throughout University,
- Persue a career in the feild that interests you
- Challenge yourseld daily by stepping out of your comfort zone
The main point that was expressed by Jamie, Matthew, Candice and Anthony was the importance of being persistant when trying to secure your first job. Dont give up on that job and put yourself in a position to stand out from the crowd.
Thank you to all the students and graduates who attended.
This event was bought to you by the Executive Committee of Alumni and the School of Design, Communication and IT.
Tuesday 31 July 2012
Topic - "Thinking it through - What to expect after graduation"
School of Psychology, Faculty of Science and Information Technology
Thank you to our Psychology graduates Ben Hainsworth, Alyce McKeogh and Steve Sanders who volunteered on a cold winters morning to share there tips and tricks to 90 Psychology students ranging from 1st to 4th year.
Alyce encouraged students to take time before graduation to gain work experience and build your resume to ensure you present well to potential employers when you start applying for positions. Ben stressed the importance of finding a job that you are passionate about, focusing on your interests and loving what you do. Steve, refelcted on his career in human resource management and highlighted to students that there are many options out there for you even if you never register as a pracitsing psychologist.
Here's some of the feedback we recieved from students who attended the event;
It was an informative session and as a second year student, I will definitely be going to the next two years breakfasts as well. It was an informative session and as a second year student, I will definitely be going to the next two years breakfasts as well. For this reason, I hope that there will be a some new speakers so that we can hear about different career paths - Melissa
It was good to hear from speakers in different fields of psychology, including one that hasn't become a registered psychologist. Perhaps would be good to know in advance the areas the speakers work in, in case some students are sure of their area of interest and your speakers do or don't cover that and this might encourage them to attend - Karren
Thank you to all the students and graduates who attended.
This event was bought to you by the Executive Committee of Alumni and the School of Psychology.
Thursday 29 March 2012
Topic - "The formula to success in Chemical Engineering"
School of Engineering (Chemical Engineering) Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment
Chemical Engineering students, graduates and staff members embraced an early start to hear from Chemical Engineering graduates; Alex Errock (Process Engineer, Newcastle Iron Recovery Plant), Belinda Grealy (Northern Operations Manager, Pacific National), Sharon O'Rourke (Senior Process Engineer, Industrial Materials, HATCH), David Cork (Technical Director, The Corky Group) and Kim van Netten (PhD Candidate, University of Newcastle).
The recognised industry professionals who are all UoN Chemical Engineering graduates gave personal insights into their lives after University and shared how perseverance, a positive attitude, hard work have shaped their current roles.
Building strong networks, always being a team player and passionate about your work were just some of the tips that were shared on how to survive your first few years out of University.
Click on the link below to watch the Alumni Advantage breakfast on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD1B65BA4202CAC01
Thank you to all the students and graduates who attended.
This event was bought to you by the Executive Committee of Alumni and the School of Engineering (Chemical Engineering).
2011 Alumni Advantage Events
Tuesday 23 August 2011
TOPIC - "From Graduate to Nurse: Highs and Lows"
Thank you to all our Nursing and Midwifery graduate speakers Donavan Jones (Registered Nurse and Midwife); Jacob Howell (Registered Nurse - Emergency Dept); Leanne Lehrle (Clinical Nurse Consultant - Intensive Care) and Gunilla Haydon (Registered Nurse) who volunteered their time to share their expertise and experience with Nursing and Midwifery students.
Students were encouraged by all the Nursing and Midwifery graduates to "always ask questions!" and reminded students that the professions of Nursing and Midwifery are about teamwork, teamwork and more teamwork.
Leanne Lehrle challenged the students to "pick someone who is the Nurse you want to be", find a mentor and to take up further study within their chosen speciality. Jacob Howell encouraged new graduates to try as many different aspects of Nursing and take every new opportunity to learn something different.
Donavan Jones reminded students to take cultural sensitive's into account when dealing with patients; and Gunilla Haydon (who travelled all the way from Port Macquarie) advised students the best way to deal with a tough working environment is to keep telling yourself "I am a good person."
Here's some of the feedback we received from students who attended the event:
On reflection, the speakers gave a great overview of the areas that they worked in and reflected on their time as a student and a RN1 post grad. The addition of Jacob was a key for me and other 3rd year Nursing students present, as we need to get advice that is current, practical and not from a gifted HD student ( an average student that has struggled to pass uni while working, that wants to be a RN- its the passionate people that make a difference). It was great to hear that we will, no longer be judged on our marks but on our ability and performance as a nurse and our attitudes and interactions with our clients. Thank you for hosting this event - Simon
Thank you again so much for the breakfast meeting this morning. It was really fantastic - the speakers were all great. I think the students will really benefit from it. - Melanie
Yesterday was great, thanks for putting the event on. It was really great that the speakers were at a variety of different stages in their careers. I would have liked to see the speakers combined with an info session from the uni about the honours program and other relevant postgrad courses. The speakers encourage you to set goals and postgrad programs give you the means to achieve them. - Alyce
Thanks for organising the Nursing alumni breakfast. It was really great to listen to the speakers. It would have been great to have more opportunity to chat with them after though, as some had to go to work etc. I am not sure if having less speakers or having of an afternoon would solve this. It was well worth the time and effort and appreciate the speakers taking time out for us. - Nichole
A special THANK YOU to the students who attended from our Ourimbah campus!
This is event was bought to you by the Executive Committee of Alumni and the School of Nursing and Midwifery.
Tuesday, 2 August 2011
TOPIC - "Surviving Your First Year Out as a Psychology graduate."
Thank you to all our graduate speakers Ben Hainsworth (Practice Manager), Jane Davenport (Specialist Psychologist), Kirsten Palmer (Registered Psychologist) and Tarnya Davis (Clinical and Forensic Psychologist) for sharing their insights to surviving the first year as a Psychology graduate!
Here's some of the feedback we received from some of the 130 Psychology students who attended the event:
"Thank you for helping to make this morning's event happen. it was well received form my end. I was disappointed to see only a few first year students. I believe this information is useful early in one's student life. I only wish there could have been more time" - Michael
"I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed the psychology alumni breakfast and found it very helpful and encouraging." - Jessica
"I attended the breakfast this morning and was very glad I did. The speakers were excellent and provided great insight into what may lie ahead for us. I am in 3rd year and recently have been wondering "what next?" Please pass on my thanks to all the speakers." - Suzanne
"The breakfast covered practical information and gave insight into possible paths to follow, allowing students to generate ideas and thoughts about what options are available". - Chloe
This is event was bought to you by the Executive Committee of Alumni and the School of Psychology.
Wednesday, 25 May 2011
TOPIC - "Western Intervention in Africa's affairs: Meddlers or Saviours?"
Thank you to our guest speakers PhD candidate Sylvester Obongo, politics graduate Faith Ogeto and Sociology Senior Lecturer Dr Terry Leahy, for a thought provoking discussion about the merits of the West's role in Africa and to all our guests who braved the cold wet weather to attend.
Sylvester Obongo passionately discussed the reality of foreign aid in African countries and how its distribution often depends on the agenda of the giver not the need of the donor country. Faith Ogeto eloquently delivered her unique point of view on the role and conflict of African and Western politics. Dr Leahy gave examples of his research on community cooperatives in South Africa - their pitfalls and successes.
Their presentations led to an emphatic discussion about the role of the West in Africa. Kebapetse Lotshwao (a student from Botswana) ardently defended foreign aid and gave the success of Botswana as an example. The outcomes of foreign aid are dependant on good governance and policy.
This is event was bought to you by the Executive Committee of Alumni and the School of Humanities and Social Science.
Thursday, 12 May 2011
Professional and Social Etiquette Workshop
Thank you to all the students, staff and graduates who attended the professional and social etiquette workshops on 12 May 2011.
MORNING SESSION
The morning session was well attended by students from all disciplines across the University. The workshop was facilitated by Tracey Hodgkins, Chief Executive Officer for the Australian Experiential Learning Centre and Telstra WA 2005 Business Woman of The Year.
Workshop content included cultural awareness and common courtesy, dining etiquette, personal branding and social networking (relationship building). Students were treated to a two course a la carte luncheon at Longworth House, which included a lesson on dining etiquette.
Comments from students who attended the workshop:
'I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for organising Tracy's visit and the workshop held on Thursday. From an undergraduate perspective, the course was invaluable: the content was exactly what I was looking for, and delivered in a most effective and engaging manner. Having spoken with many others who attended, the event was well received by all, and everyone mentioned that the skills learned throughout the day were of a type not covered off by many other events or programs, thus making the whole day a very rewarding experience." - Jeff Bell (current student)
"Thank you for the fantastic workshop yesterday. I came up from Ourimbah campus for the workshop and it was definitely worth it. Great presentation, reasonably priced, informative and enjoyable...The presentation was great, very relevant information for our continuing study and the into our careers. It was also attainable and genuine. I really liked that. "- Ruth Cross (current student)
Thank you to our partners in the Careers office and Longworth House.
EVENING SESSION
The evening session was again well attended by University staff, GradSchool students and graduates.
Tracey encouraged attendees to actively communicate their professional attributes using "Personal Branding" - a system of words, beliefs, abilities to showcase your personal "brand". She emphasised that "It is important to say what you are going to do, do it and tell people when you have done it".
The workshop concluded with an opportunity to practice networking tips such as a good handshake, "safe topics" to break the ice and the importance of meeting new people at events.
Comments from guests who attended the workshop:
"Excellent presentation - it was too short."
"Thoroughly enjoyable - thought provoking and fabulous. Thanks for sharing so much, so well."
Thank you to our partners at GradSchool.com and Isabella's Restaurant.
We look forward to seeing you at the next Alumni Advantage Program event.
If you would like your Faculty to host an event or want more information regarding the Alumni Advantage Program please contact alumni@newcastle.edu.au or
phone (02) 4921 6380.
