Wellbeing and Community
Alumni
Above are the Foundation Staff and Students of
North Geelong High School 1966
North Geelong Secondary College has an ever-growing Alumni Program to help our former students keep in touch with the College. Being part of an alumni community can be a rewarding and fulfilling experience for both the alum and the current student cohort.
Why an Alumni Program
Through our alumni community you can:
- Advise, help and inspire current students at North Geelong Secondary College
- Network with other ex-students working or studying in areas relevant to you
- Stay connected to the people you studied and socialised with
What an Alumni program does
Our alumni program will focus on these goals:
- Establish and grow our alumni database
- Invite alumni back to the College to provide career or study advice to students
- Invite alumni to offer work experience placements for students
- Help alumni establish and/or contribute to student scholarships and philanthropic projects/programs
How do we find Alumni?
Alumni are found through Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media, along with personal contacts and word of mouth referrals. Once contact has been made and permission given, alumni are added to the database, where records of workplace/study and communication details are kept.
How do we engage with Alumni?
Alumni are invited to chat with individual classes, year levels and whole school assemblies. College functions such as Multicultural Day, Awards Evening and Pako Festa are also a part of the event calendar. In 2023, alumni were invited to attend a morning tea, simply to reacquaint themselves with each other and the College, via a tour of facilities.
Alumni joined our students in Ballarat to take part in a question and answer session with the new Year 12 cohort. They gave advice on how to manage school, work and social life in Year 12, and talked about their pathway since leaving school. Many of them have highlighted the fact that they did not really know what their future would look like, but there was always help available - once part of the North Geelong Secondary College family, you’re always welcome back to seek advice or have a chat!
Alumni have been involved in Year 10 Careers Week, detailing their pathways since leaving North Geelong Secondary College. Many talked about the changes that have occurred along the way in their employment/study journey. The overwhelming message was that it is ok to change your mind and to follow a path that you find enjoyable.
Other alumni have addressed whole school assemblies for Harmony Day - a celebration of the great diversity of our College. The speakers talked about the welcoming culture of North Geelong Secondary College and how it supports everyone, regardless of race, religion or gender.
Who takes part in the Alumni Program?
From a scientist involved with research into a COVID-19 vaccine to a rapper, we have welcomed all alumni who wish to give back to North Geelong Secondary College. Alum from way back in the 1970s to the most recent graduates; we value all pathways and outcomes. It doesn’t matter whether you excelled or just scraped through, it is great for students to see that there are many options available once you leave the North Geelong Secondary College family.
Author, roof plumber, bricklayer, sport administrator, software designer, psychologist, heavy diesel mechanic, group exercise trainer, teacher in training, lab technician, music teacher and performer, graphic designer, education support staff, chef, shotcreter, swimming teacher, ADF gap year participant, lawyer, project manager, accountant/wealth manager, engineer, home finance manager, restaurant manager… these are some of the pathways that returning Alumni have talked about with various classes or groups.
Other opportunities to re-engage
In partnership with the not-for-profit organisation Ourschool, which helped set up the program at NGSC, students get the opportunity to attend Industry Insight sessions. One session was held at Peter Mac Cancer Centre where students interested in the medical field were able to see some of the facilities and speak with various public school alumni about their role at the Centre.
Another Industry Insight session saw alumni from public schools who worked at KPMG in Geelong, link in with the Melbourne office to host an online question and answer session. Participating students from NGSC then had the opportunity to network with the Geelong KPMG employees.
Benefits of the Alumni Program
Students have appreciated the alumni giving up their time to come back to North Geelong Secondary College to talk with their class, to be a part of a program to assist with subject selection or to address the whole school at an assembly. The Industry Insight sessions have also been appreciated by participants
- The alumni session was really great. I had the opportunity to ask the health care workers questions that I've had for a while, which led me to walk out more confident about my future - Nya Tut (Peter Mac Industry Insight session)
- It was very interesting seeing what students who used to go to our school have gotten up to since graduating - Ater Mou (Software Development Alumni session)
- Their work experiences and the snowboarding vr project was very interesting - Ava Dimkopoulous (Software Development Alumni session)
- They made it make sense - Tyler Cooper (Year 10 Careers Week Alumni session)
Alumni who have returned said that they really enjoyed the chance to see the changes at the school and that they wished that something like this existed when they were attending North Geelong Secondary College. So there’s benefits all round!
