Welcome to the third edition of Bishbar Blue. It’s a daunting question: do you choose a path less travelled? Non-traditional pathways or unfamiliar environments are rarely easy to navigate and often result in unexpected obstacles. However, in overcoming any adversity this path presents, our awareness and understanding of the world, and how we fit into it, only expands.
My role as Alumnae Relations Manager allows me to discover and document the stories of our Grammar Women, and to hear firsthand from past students of the diverse career pathways they have embarked upon since leaving BGGS. Examples of such pathways chosen by alumnae with whom I’ve recently spoken include: robotic engineering; teaching; journalism; fashion design; midwifery (in remote areas of Africa), professional sport; data science; the not-for-profit sector and entrepreneurship.
While many of the women I have spoken to discovered their passions at BGGS, all attributed the ability to access networks such as Grammar Women as providing them with the opportunity to reach out to role models and collaborate with other past students working or studying in similar fields.
In this edition of Bishbar Blue, three Grammar Women reflect on the unconventional paths they have taken, and how it transformed the way they view the world. Australian Deputy High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea, Caitlin Wilson (1986), Film, Television and Photography Producer, Sophie Matterson (2006), and student curator, Elena Dias-Jayasinha (2016), demonstrate the diverse makeup of Grammar Women who have forged successful careers by creating their own unique path.
I welcome you to explore their stories and let them inspire you to take, if not the ‘road less travelled’, perhaps a brief change of scenery.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any comments, ideas or questions relating to our global community of Grammar Women, or if you have suggestions for future editions of Bishbar Blue.
Ms Antonia Swindells
Alumnae Relations Manager
