Somerset lifetimes 2019 Semester 1

Generations

ALUMNI – THREE

TEACHER WELCOMES FATHER AND DAUGHTER TO SOMERSET A first for the College, our alumni teacher Jacinta Hyman (Class of 1998) this year welcomed her father Graham Hyman (Co-ordinator – Chaplaincy Services) as staff and introduced her daughter Charlie (Class of 2032) into her first year at Pre-Prep. I graduated from Somerset in 1998 not really sure of what I wanted to do with my life. I “tried” a variety of degrees ranging from law to psychology to medical science, but I struggled to see myself thriving in any profession related to these pathways. To finance my indecisiveness, I worked as a swimming teacher and coach. What I thought was simply a part time job became the stepping stone to a career. It was working with children and young athletes that helped me to realise my love for teaching. Finally, I found something that I not only enjoyed, but that enabled me to make a small difference in the lives of others. My first teaching appointment was at Helensvale High teaching senior Chemistry and junior Science. In 2007 I accepted an appointment to Saint Stephen’s College where I taught in the Science Department and was a Head of Year 12 and Head of House. In 2014 I had my daughter, Charlie, and took a year’s maternity leave. The drive from Palm Beach to SSC everyday was going to be to difficult with a small baby so I was fortunate for a positon to become available at Somerset and

even more fortunate to have been accepted to teach here. I teach Science, Senior Biology and Chemistry and I am the Head of House for Franklin. It is busy and challenging, but a wonderfully rewarding experience. I am glad I have gained experience teaching in other schools, but I am also so pleased to have returned to Somerset. As a student, the College gave me so many opportunities and so many challenges. It is a school that allows students to explore their interests and their abilities and encourages and supports students to perform to their potential. I wanted to be a part of that process. One of the things I find interesting about having been on “both sides of the fence” at the College is how similar the experience is. Both as a student and a teacher I have experienced that every day is a positive challenge, that there are high expectations and a support network to help me achieve them, that the College is always seeking to expand its resources in ways that support both students and staff. In the midst of the challenge to excellence and its pursuit in all curricular and co-curricular endeavours, there is an equal commitment to the welfare of the person who is at the heart of those pursuits. This is why it is so great to have my dad working here, it is an extension of the mission of Somerset to work with the whole person. It can be a little strange but it seems to be working out well so far…especially as he buys me coffee!

26 Alumni – Three Generations