Alumnae Advice & Mentoring

Can you help with careers advice or offer mentoring or work experience?

We run regular online Career Pathway sessions for Years 12 and 13 during which alumnae chat informally to students about their experience of Higher Education and career journeys to date. We would love to hear from you if you would like to participate or visit us in person to talk to the girls. We’re also on the lookout for work experience opportunities, so please do get in touch if you can help or would like to mentor a student.

ARABELLA AND CECILIA ZOOM IN FOR CAREERS TALKS

Degree Apprenticeships and careers in Journalism and Computer Science were in the spotlight recently when alumnae Arabella Watt and Cecilia Adamou joined our Year 12 students online to share their insights…

Arabella, who graduated recently with a BSc in Digital and Technology Solutions, almost went off to university in 2020 but changed her mind when she was offered a Degree Apprenticeship by Cisco Systems. It was a smart move – she’s been paid since starting the day after she left Year 13, has three years of valuable computer science experience under her belt and no student debt. The opportunity came after Arabella did some work experience for Cisco, which develops, manufactures and sells networking hardware, software, telecoms and other hi-tech products worldwide.

Arabella talked the students through her experience of the apprenticeship and said that, while she missed out on the classic university experience, she did study at uni part time and developed a wide circle of friends among other Cisco apprentices, as well as a useful network of business connections that will help further her career.

She also dispelled the myth that you need a technical mindset to succeed; her current role as a Business Development Analyst involves scrutinising sales data to identify the best-selling products, training sales teams and helping to align product ranges to serve future needs.

Living the dream

As Editorial Assistant on the Daily Mirror, Cecilia Adamou is living her dream as a journalist, following a three-year degree in Journalism, Media and Culture at the University of Newcastle.

The girls listened intently as Cecilia described the buzz of the busy Canary Wharf newsroom and how a typical day sees her coming up with story ideas, researching and writing articles and even interviewing junior doctors on the front line in the recent doctor’s strike.

A heart transplant patient at the tender age of 10, Cecilia is a seasoned campaigner for Organ Donation and, with the backing of the Daily Mirror, is also planning a podcast series ‘Back from the Brink’ which sees her interviewing people who have had near death experiences about how it changed their lives. Cecilia reports that a media career is exciting and full of variety, and advises would-be journalists that it’s never too soon to start building a CV by writing blogs and contributing to student newspapers and digital media channels.

Two very different career choices, but both Arabella and Cecilia’s talks gave Year 12 much to think about as they start to contemplate life post Notre Dame. We thank them both for giving up their valuable time and look forward to welcoming them back to Notre Dame soon.

“Stretch Out A Helping Hand”
St Jeanne de Lestonnac

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