Alumni News

During Refugee Week (June 15th - 21st with a theme of 'Finding Freedom: Diversity in Community'), alum Navid Haidari (2017) had agreed to speak to the whole school assembly but was, unfortunately, unable to attend due to illness. Instead, Ms Elkin read out his account of his journey to Australia, along with the story of another alum who also went through the refugee system. Similarities existed in both stories, despite being from vastly different regions. Both told of hardship and persecution in their respective countries and of the relief when they came to Australia, even though each had an entirely different method of arriving here. Both were appreciative of the support provided by communities, be it church, school or cultural. We at North Geelong Secondary College are extremely grateful for the diversity we embrace each day and are ourselves enriched by the contributions of our refugee background students, many of whom are now Australian citizens.

On Tuesday, 1st July, Erfan Rahimy (2018) returned to North Geelong Secondary College to talk with the VCE Vocational Major classes about his pathway to being a Personal Banker with Westpac. He spoke about starting a double degree in Commerce and Law, but decided that the Law degree was not for him and he continued in Commerce, majoring in Accounting. He said how he always had a flair for numbers, maths being his favourite subject at NGSC, and how this had attracted him to the accounting area. However, after three months working as an accountant, he missed personal interactions with different people. This lead him to apply to many banks and eventually to a teller position with Westpac. From there, he has moved into Personal Banking and is now training to become a Home Finance Manager.  

Erfan demonstrated that pathways after secondary school aren't always linear, and that it is ok to change your mind to pursue a different option. He talked about the importance of understanding credit cards, being informed about credit ratings and scores, knowing the difference between wants and needs, being aware of saving strategies and superannuation. As the owner of five houses (three in Australia and two overseas) and the head of a security firm, Erfan certainly has the real-world knowledge about successful savings and money management to share with students.

Congratulations to alum Josh Zdybel (2020), who won a Bronze medal in the Worldskills national competition, representing The Gordon in the field of mechatronics. Well done, Josh.

Alumni Mutheinchri Ra (2016), Fiston Baraka (2018), Kiko Joak (2019) were represented at the Jam for Refugees function at the Pivotonian cinema recently. Short films by Mutheinchri and Kiko were shown and Fiston performed some of his soon-to-be-released music. They were congratulated by the Mayor of Geelong, Strechko Kontelj, also an alum of North Geelong High School (1979). Well done to all involved.

Alumni Events