Alumni
Hear directly from our Alumni about how our College supported them to achieve success after SEDA.
Courtney is currently working as a Clerk with the Australian Army and is in the process to transition to a Physical Trainer role. She commented that she feels SEDA appropriately prepared and taught her how to communicate effectively which is a strong component in every job. “When I was in SEDA my placement was with Athletics NT which I really enjoyed. I learnt a lot about organising events for both grassroots level sports and professional level sports, communicating professionally and other small tasks required to run a business.”
After graduating at SEDA in 2016, Courtney said that she “found volunteer work with the South Australian National Football League. I was volunteering at an open day and met someone from the Adelaide Crows Football Club and mentioned SEDA. This then turned into a casual paid work as a Memberships Officer whilst I was studying a Bachelor of Business (Sport and Recreation Management) at university.”
Courtney believes that she definitely achieved what she wanted through SEDA. “I was exposed to professional sporting organisations and the skills I have learnt through all of my placements has allowed me to make valuable connections for my future and I believe it prepared me better then a normal school would.”
Below is how Courtney rated her experience at SEDA:
10/10 "I was very satisfied with my experiences at SEDA. “I feel SEDA prepared me for the real world”
10/10 "I would recommend SEDA to others “Couldn’t recommend SEDA enough, the school allows you to learn in a professional environment.”
Brandon graduated from the SEDA Program in 2020 and decided to pursue a career in Primary school teaching because of his experience at SEDA. When interviewed for his alumni profile, he commented that “The various sports clinics, gala days, and work placements with SEDA greatly influenced my decision to pursue a teaching career. While deciding what would be the best career path for me, I thought about the things I was good at and enjoyed and reflected on these experiences that I had with SEDA before ultimately making my decision.”
Brandon is currently working at Jingili Primary School as a Special Education Support Assistant and studying a Bachelor of Education (Primary) at CDU. He is his third year of study and believes that “The various clinics, gala days, work experiences, and even lesson plans were integral for the successful completion of my first semester and year at university. They provided me with the knowledge, abilities, experiences, and context necessary to receive high grades in my first year, and they gave me an advantage over my peers.”
Below is how Brandon rated his experience at SEDA, and if he would recommend it to other students and families:
9/10 "I would recommend SEDA to someone else. By the end of middle school, I was disengaged and couldn’t care less about high school. Enrolling at SEDA and engaging with this alternate approach to my education put me back on the right track and gave me a new perspective on school and my future. I wouldn’t have ever bothered with a higher education career without it.”
In Year 9, Millie felt school was not for her and wanted to work fulltime at her family’s business until a friend mentioned that she should commence her senior secondary education with SEDA. Fortunately, Millie was granted a position with SEDA and completed her Year 12 studies in 2021.
When interviewed for her alumni profile, Millie mentioned that she “recommends SEDA to many parents who have older children that are struggling with the mainstream schooling system. I was very satisfied with my overall experience with SEDA, I felt like it was a very personal learning experience. Having the same teacher throughout the year makes you get to know each other very well and I felt like they knew each one of us as individuals and not just students. Teachers knew what it would take for each student to grasp a concept and would modifying tasks as required. I am a very hands-on learner; I need to be doing something to learn it and I felt like I was supported with this throughout my 3 years at SEDA.”
Millie now studies fulltime at CDU undertaking a Bachelor of Primary Education – Health and Physical Education and stated that “SEDA completely changed my perspective on school, I had expectations to show up and do my best all while working on my certificates; this for me was amazing. My experience overall with SEDA was very positive, I enjoyed it a lot and sometimes even miss it!”
When asked if she thought SEDA adequately prepared her for work Millie said “Absolutely! Through working in different workplaces, communicating with all kinds of different people, learning to correctly write emails, and much more. All life skills that have been carried over into the workforce. I loved doing placements and I found the more you put into them, the more you get out so don’t be afraid to ask questions and get opinions and thoughts”. Millie had work placement with Total Recreation whilst at SEDA and continues to work there part time. In 2022, she had the opportunity to coach a basketball team at the Special Olympics where her team won Gold!
Millie commented that her overall experience at SEDA was a very positive and her favourite memories were of sports carnivals “I loved doing sport carnivals with primary schools, handing out ribbons and of course the sausage sizzle!”
One last note Millie added is about how SEDA “still do the occasional check in even after schools over and I think that shows how much they care for their students and want the best for them outside of school.”
Rossi Johnson graduated from the SEDA Program in 2020, he now races in the Toyota 86 Racing Series in Australia. The national championship with up to 40 drivers consisting of rounds in Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales, and Queensland – a steppingstone on the Pathway to Supercars.
Rossi had dreamt of being a race car driver throughout his childhood stating "Despite this being a childhood dream and being extremely driven, to get to this point if you had of told me years ago I’d be a professional racing driver, I probably would’ve had a laugh. Now coming into my third year in the championship, I still have to pinch myself". He has been working for the Gold Coast based team Tekworkx Motorsport as a race car driver for 3 years now with his ultimate goal being able to race in Supercars or Porsches in the coming years.
When asked to rate his SEDA experienced from 1-10 on his satisfaction of the program and likely hood to recommend it to others, he commented:
10/10 "Not only do you take so many important skills away from the program that translates straight into the real world but it’s such a great culture. Having the same teacher and the same class throughout the year creates a bond that’s beneficial to your learning"
10/10 "I found I didn’t fit into traditional secondary education, which drove me to enquire about SEDA as many past students have only had good things to say about it. It sounds a bit dramatic but changing to SEDA in Year 12 changed my whole outlook on school, I found myself excited to attend and applying myself more than I had in the past"
Rossi said his most positive memories from SEDA were holding clinics for other schools, friendships with students and teachers, and the real-life skills he has taken away.