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Career Profiles
In 2019, I entered my first year of university enrolled in the advanced stream of the Bachelor of Health and Medical Science, and quickly discovered that the STEM pathway would not satisfy my desire to be creative. I then convinced myself to switch into a Bachelor of Law and Media, and it took 8 months of academic slog to make me realise that I desperately needed to take leave from studying to find clarity and create a plan for my future.
In 2021, I started a Bachelor of Creative Industries at the University of South Australia. I interned for State Theatre Company, volunteered for OzAsia Festival, attended a cultural exchange in Japan under an academic scholarship, and was the 2023 Head Editor of the University of South Australia student-run magazine. While studying, I worked at Writers SA as an administration assistant and was eventually asked to be their 2023 Guest Curator for Context Writers Festival, celebrating literary diversity in local and interstate authors.
I am now Writers SA’s Program Coordinator, collaborating with the team to curate a program that highlights all aspects of language and storytelling, and leveraging unheard perspectives. As a Filipino-Australian woman navigating the world, there are certain challenges that confront me in my ongoing involvement with the arts and literary community. The stigma around wanting to be a ‘writer’ or a creative in fear of instability or inadequacy was a burden on my shoulders for years. However, it is liberating to challenge the status-quo, and uplift those who desire to do the same. I wish someone had told my younger self that there are no linear pathways to finding your true purpose. Sometimes, it will take years of trials and tribulations to understand what makes you tick. Comparison is counter-productive, so embrace your own journey and be unapologetic about your instinctual self and it will lead you to where you need to be.
Pronouns: She/Her
Content supplied by: Tamara Montina
Edited for clarity by: Dahlia Opala
Photography by: Thomas McCammon
There are so many incredibly inspiring professionals working in the South Australian festival and events sector. If you would like to nominate someone or yourself for a career profile, please reach out via the form below.
