Page 9 - Southwell School Chronicle December 2018

SOUTHWELL SCHOOL
OLD GIRL FEATURE
What extracurricular activities were you involved with while at Southwell?
I was into my sports while at Southwell, with cricket and hockey being my main two. I spent many a sports exchange
as one of two girls participating in
the competition. Myself and Rebecca Green (an exceptional tennis player!) were often the only girls playing on
the teams before netball joined the exchanges. They often had to go to great lengths at the other boys’ schools to nd us places to change!
What advice would you offer students today?
My advice to students of this modern era would probably be that no matter what you are doing in school or in sport, make sure you continuously act, fail, learn and repeat! It is not about having the perfect experience, it’s about embracing the whole experience, all the good, the hard and the fun.
Tell us about life after Southwell...
After my Southwell days, I went to Waikato Diocesan School for Girls and in my nal year was Head Girl. I was heavily involved in sport during those
days and represented the Waikato and Midlands region in hockey, cricket and soccer.
When I got to the end of my Dio days, I heard about the opportunities to study and play competitive sport in the US.
It was an opportunity I couldn’t resist.
I received a scholarship to play hockey at Kent State University in Ohio. I spent four years playing for their hockey team and did my studies at their journalism school.
I graduated Summa Cum Laude in
a Bachelor of Science in Electronic Media Sports Production, a broadcasting degree focused speci cally on sports television and journalism. As an avid sportsperson the degree was a perfect t for me as it combined my passion for sport, as well as my interest in journalism and media. I got into doing some sports presenting on the student-run television channel and with the university’s athletic department, as well as having my own radio show for a couple of semesters.
Photo credit: Rowing New Zealand
Where are you based now and what are you doing?
Following university, I spent a year in Toronto, Canada where I worked at the University of Toronto as a Sports Information Assistant, and was an assistant coach for their hockey team. I also got the opportunity to be the manager for the Canadian Indoor Hockey National Team that won gold in the Pan AM tournament in Uruguay. Teaching and education runs in the family and I found myself heading down a similar path, but teaching of the sporting kind. It was this passion and challenge that led me back to the States to become a full time hockey coach. I was lucky enough to land a great opportunity as the assistant hockey coach at Bryant University
in Rhode Island. I spent three years coaching at Bryant before taking a leap into the Ivy league world as an assistant coach at Brown University.
I am now back in New Zealand as I look to my next adventure! I am hoping to head to London for a couple years to get some traveling out of my system and join my brother Matt, who is already living there.
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