Year 10 Careers Week

Heathdale alumni, Brittany Flask, has worked as a professional dancer and teacher for over 10 years and is the director and founder of Dance Nation Academy. Before opening her performing arts studio, Brittany toured with various artists and dance companies such as the Backstreet Boys and R ’n’ B royalty Mya. Brittany's dance career has taken her around the world including Dubai, Thailand, Indonesia, Hong Kong, New Caledonia, New Zealand and China. Brittany lived in China for two years working as a dancer in one of Beijing's leading dance companies and has also had the opportunity to teach workshops and classes around Asia. Brittany has lived and breathed dance since she was two years old and loves nothing more than to share her experiences and knowledge with her students. Opening Dance Nation Academy is by far her proudest achievement, mentoring her students and watching them improve and grow is so very special to her.

Kristofer Amato began his career as an engineer before moving into delivering some of Victoria’s most significant infrastructure, defence and traffic projects over the last decade. This has included managing the grid connection of one of Australia’s largest Wind Farms (Stockyard Hill Wind Farm) at 530MW; leading the CBD Security of Supply project for CitiPower which involved significant re-arrangement of the electrical network in Melbourne’s CBD; managing the design and installation of the tolling systems on EastLink; and working on projects for the Royal Australian Navy and Royal New Zealand Navy. Currently, Kristofer is responsible for the delivery of AusNet Services’ commercial energy projects. These projects focus specifically on large-scale grid renewable projects in Wind, Solar and Battery. Kristofer is currently managing over $100M in works and a physical delivery team of up to 250 people, and working on over $1B in opportunities.

Part of Heathdale’s 2007 graduating class, Michael Debevec (better known as Bench), has worked in a range of roles across the design and media industry for small to large organisations including universities and State Government. Michael is an accomplished digital designer and developer with over 15 years of experience in the media industry creating motion graphics for documentaries, television commercials, and countless marketing campaigns; to coordinating and programming for video games; and creating print and online web presences. Michael has always pushed to broaden his skillset and find new ways to meld design and functionality. Michael is currently the Art Director at Mike Woods Production Agency and at the Institute of Workplace Training, as well as working as a freelancer through Bench Studios. He is passionate about encouraging other creatives to continue to grow, and loves to equip them with the tools and confidence they need to excel in their chosen career paths.

Cecelia Irvine-So is a commercial lawyer specialising in education law, education governance, privacy and regulatory compliance. Cecelia is the first port of call for a significant number of independent and Catholic schools, education providers, kindergarten cluster managers and K-12 education management and peak bodies. Cecelia has developed a reputation for successfully assisting education bodies and schools which are facing regulator intervention due to critical events or funding and compliance issues, including CRICOS, VRQA, Dept of Education, NESA, TEQSA and ASQA. As one of only a handful of dedicated education lawyers, she is in demand from industry bodies seeking her expertise for speaking engagements and training, and contributions to boards and advisory groups. Cecelia also has a special interest in regulatory compliance across the board for Not for Profits, with a particular emphasis on privacy and information.

Katrina McArdle is a Clinical Midwife Specialist working across all areas of the maternity wards at Werribee Mercy Hospital and its Specialist Antenatal Clinics. She is an antenatal midwife at HHB (Healthy Happy Beginnings), a Specialist Clinic for Pregnant Burmese women (predominately Karen-speaking) and their babies. She is also a founding midwife for the Complex Care Clinic that focuses on at-risk and complex needs women during their pregnancies. Katrina came to Midwifery after many years of interest and involvement with at-risk women, youth and refugees. She was a founding member of the St Kilda Gatehouse; a support program for street sex workers. She ran Machaseh House; a live-in youth support home for at-risk teens. She has spent time visiting refugee camps on the Thai-Burma border. She remains deeply interested in the support and treatment needs of at-risk youth, complex care patients and refugee/migrant women (particularly Burmese), during pregnancy and the post-natal period.

Emylee Ephraums attended Prep to Year 12 at Heathdale Christian College. After graduating in 2011, she completed a Bachelor of Arts at The University of Melbourne, followed by Honours in Psychology at Swinburne University of Technology in 2014. After spending a year gaining hands-on experience in the field, she returned to The University of Melbourne to complete a Master of Educational Psychology, graduating at the end of 2018. She has since been working for the Department of Education and Training as a Student Support Services psychologist, working with multiple schools, students, families and professionals in this role. Emylee is passionate about supporting children and young people from a diverse range of backgrounds to improve their learning and wellbeing, and helping them succeed despite various challenges they might have faced. She is also grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with and learn from teachers, families and other allied health professionals. Given her interest in working with students with additional needs, Emylee is currently undertaking a Master of Special and Inclusive Education through The University of Newcastle, under the Department of Education and Training Master of Inclusive Education Scholarship program.

Elise Halton is a qualified A Grade electrician currently working as an ICC (Industry Careers Consultant or Field Officer) for NECA GTO/RTO. Interestingly, she was an adult apprentice at the same school! Elise has worked in the construction industry and rail for 12 years and is also a mother of two little girls. She is an advocate for women in the industry and truly enjoys watching her electrical apprentices flourish as they progress in their training. She is passionate about supporting her apprentices so they can be successful in their chosen career path.

Philip is a ‘jack-of-all trades’ who began his apprenticeship at an early age before completing his post trade studies then continuing on into further education for the longer term across a range of areas, including mental health. Philip worked for 12 years in the printing industry before moving across to being a field rep for various group training companies. His journey has encompassed various trades over his 30 years of experience and he is currently specialising in the electrical industry.