I joined North Lake Senior Campus in mid-2015 and was only there for about six months, though it wasn’t clear at the start how long I would be able to stay. Back then, I had just graduated from a grammar school in another country. That short time ended up being one of the most important turning points in my life. I arrived at NLSC unsure of what I wanted to do and not especially confident in myself. What I found was a campus that treated me like an adult, gave me space to reset, and showed me what I was actually capable of.
The teachers treated us like emerging adults, not merely students ticking off periods in a day. There was room to ask questions, explore ideas and figure out how my strengths in maths, logic and languages could turn into a real pathway.
It may sound funny, but the North Lake-provided iPad became my key productivity tool at the time. I read countless books on it and used it to organise my study in a way I’d never done before.
I really valued the flexibility and atmosphere at North Lake. The teachers took the time to understand where I was coming from and what I was aiming for, even when I wasn’t entirely sure myself. Special mention goes to Judith Natale. The adult-learning environment helped me build discipline, take responsibility for my own progress, and start thinking seriously about life after school.
Since leaving NLSC at the end of 2015, my path hasn’t been a straight line. I completed the Murdoch University bridging program (OnTrack), began a Computer Science degree at Murdoch, and after my family moved to NSW I was accepted into UNSW and continued my studies there. I went through a few tough periods where I had to rethink my direction and grow up a lot in terms of work and career. My family later moved away from Perth, and I’ve spent time in NSW and Queensland, worked in a major commercial law firm environment, and more recently focused on technology and cybersecurity. It’s been a journey of trial, error and constant learning.
My long-term goal is to keep working at the intersection of people, technology and security – enabling organisations to build systems and interactions that are trustworthy, useful, and safe by design. I want to keep growing my technical skills while also staying grounded in the human side of the work: communication, ethics and problem-solving.
Looking back, North Lake Senior Campus gave me a crucial head start. It didn’t magically solve everything, but it gave me the confidence, structure and support I needed at exactly the right moment. For students who want a fresh start, a more adult setting, or a different path to university, training or work, I would absolutely recommend NLSC. It’s a place where a short time can make a very big difference.