Head of Science
Tell us a bit about your background, where did you come from?
Ah, that is a very difficult question….. As a 3rd Culture adult, the question ‘Where are you from?’ is not all that straight forward.
I was born in Scotland, a wee while ago and when I was three we emigrated to Iran. I went to school at the British International School in Tehran until we left during the revolution. We returned to Scotland for a short period of time before emigrating to Warri, Nigeria. Education was limited in West Africa at the time, so my siblings and I were home schooled by many of the mum’s from the compound we lived in. During this time, we travelled to the USA on holidays, visiting Disney World, Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida which was a highlight for me.
When I turned 11 my parents sent me to boarding school in the Scottish highlands. Memories of Rannoch School were of having to join a service, such as Ambulance or Loch Rescue. My parents returned from Africa after a couple of years, and I started at a Catholic Secondary School in Bannockburn (famous for Robert the Bruce and William Wallace defeating the English).
When I was 14 turning 15 we emigrated to Australia where we started at Willetton Senior High School. I finished school, went to university, and found my first teaching position in Northam at St Josephs. From there I spent five years at Kolbe College before heading north where I taught at St Luke’s, in Karratha.
Taking my long service leave I travelled to a school in Bangkok, Thailand run by the Gabrielite Brothers. We had 50 boys in a class, and the school was rumored to have 5000 in attendance. From here I took the rest of the year to travel to the United Kingdom and around Europe and eventually, I thought I should probably start making my way back home. I decided I would drive across Africa, from Gibraltar to Cape Town. That was an amazing 10 month trip!
I returned to work at St Mary’s in Broome where not too long after I began to get itchy feet again. I headed back to the United Kingdom where I could base myself, allowing for further travel around Europe and parts of the Middle East.
At this time I worked teaching Physics and the PGCE at the University of Reading and also for Honda UK, facilitating the School of Dreams Program for staff and students in schools across the UK. I travelled to Greece, Egypt, Israel, Jordan and most of Europe during these years before accepting another job in Thailand teaching the IBDP. From here we travelled through South East Asia; hiking from the North to South of Vietnam. I tried being Lara Croft at Ankor Wat, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong which were all fascinating.
In 2017 we moved to China which was amazing. One of my favourite places we visited was The Dragon Springs, a village built on a thermal spring. In 2018 we returned to Perth.
What are your aspirations at Emmanuel and what do you hope to achieve?
DOING Science everyday and pointing out that we already DO Science all the time is amazing! Applying the principles of Design Thinking and the Scientific Method is really just common sense when figuring out how the world works.
Tell us an interesting fact about yourself.
I have an undissolved artery from the lens in my right eye that should have disappeared after birth, but it didn’t. It always fascinates my opticians!