When asked to share my journey since graduating high-school, I felt very honoured and excited to be able to share with fellow alumni and up-coming graduates all God has done in my life since finishing up at Middleton.

I transitioned from Hillview Christian School to Middleton Grange going into Year 11 at the start of 2016. I spent my final 3 years of school at Middleton, and I truly believe the opportunities and growth that occurred in those years were so key to where I am now.

A lot of my Middleton years were spent in the music rooms, as my passion for songwriting flourished with the input from Mr Bisseker and being involved with Perco for 2 years. Middleton also brought out my passion for the sciences. All throughout my schooling years, I’d been planning to become a teacher after school. While I still held that idea until I graduated, my new love for Biology and Chemistry opened up a different door for me.

In my first year out of high school, I began studying at UC to get a Bachelor of Science majoring in Biochemistry. My plan was to get this degree and then do a year of teaching afterwards so I could teach Science.

While studying, I had a few different creative hobbies going on at the side. In year 13, I bought a few pieces of recording equipment so I could bring my songwriting passion to life. I created a faith-based Instagram account (@faithbymercy), where I started sharing my journey with Jesus and also had a small ‘business’ of selling hand-painted journals and now Bibles. This was a way for me to keep my artistic hobby going and also use it to bless others.

As I got towards the end of my Biochemistry degree, I realised I no longer had the same passion to teach Science. I still really enjoyed the biochemistry of our bodies and how we work at a deep level, but I didn’t get that same excitement when thinking about teaching in a classroom.

It was throughout my final year of study that I became quite passionate about holistic health. I have been on an incredible journey of growth in my faith, fitness, mental and emotional health and overall confidence in life. I found the UC papers that focused on the body, hormones and intricate processes that go on inside were the most interesting for me.

To my complete surprise, I started looking at study options to become a holistic health coach. I love working with people one-on-one. I love to get alongside people and celebrate their growth and their own journeys. I think youth leading for the 5 years after high school played a big part in showing me where my strengths and passions are.

I graduated with my Biochemistry degree half-way through 2022. I spent 6 months praying and looking into the health coach pathway. I also spent these months doing life-giving things. I even trained for and completed my second ½ marathon!

At the end of 2022, I had become confident in my next step, and at the start of this year (2023), I enrolled through the Holistic Performance Institute to become a qualified holistic health coach and nutritionist!

I still paint journals & Bibles to utilise my artistic heart. I also started up my own podcast a few months back using the recording gear I had bought in highschool. I love how God has been showing me the beauty of my creative side and all the ways He has blessed my dreams and creative adventures.

While I study part-time, I am going on 8-years working as a nanny, house-keeper and dog-breeder for a big family that I adore. I count this unique job as a huge blessing, because the flexibility and support I have allows me to also pursue my study and other ambitions. This job is a great example of God’s provision in my life.

These past 5 years out of school have taught me how much our lives are not meant to be cookie-cutter replicates of each other’s. I am doing a lot of things that are very different to what my high-school friends and current community are invested into. I have recognised how capable God is of taking my dreams and passions to give Him glory. As a high-school graduate, I did not see myself living out all the beautiful opportunities God has brought along since then.

If I were to encourage soon-to-be graduates or current students, I would say “Don’t limit yourself to the traditional ‘post-high school route.’ You have gifts, dreams and strengths that can be used in so many exciting and fresh ways. You’re not in a rush. There is time to explore and figure out what is life-giving for you. God loves getting to know what’s on your heart and what adventures you would love to take with Him.”

In this issue

We are now on Instagram and Facebook - join us!