Member for Warringah, and past Olympian, Zali Steggall shared the Olympic Spirit today with Year 10 students across Catholic Secondary Schools in the Diocese of Broken Bay in a live streamed event: “Careers behind the Olympics”.
The Forum is a collaborative project between Catholic Schools Broken Bay, Ms Zali Steggall, Member for Warringah, Mr John Giancarlo, Director of Energy & Technology with the International Olympic Committee and Mr Peter Bambridge, Olympic Sponsorship and Hospitality Director based in New York City. All three guest speakers zoomed in today to present to almost 1,000 Year 10 students who are undertaking home-schooling due to COVID-19 restrictions in the greater Sydney region. Our Mater Maria students included.
The focus of the Forum, as the name indicates, is to discuss “Careers behind the Olympics.” Because for the 11,000 athletes who will compete in Tokyo there are at least 250,000 people behind the scenes performing an enormous array of roles to support super human effort.
Mr Danny Casey, Director of Schools, Catholic Schools Broken Bay Diocese, said “we are so pleased to be presenting this event to our students, particularly at this difficult time, returning to home-schooling. With the Olympics just under 2 weeks away, I am delighted we can bring some of the Olympic spirit and excitement to our students, in an informative forum, that allows them to dream of career paths, once they leave our schools. This is all part of our Pathways Program to ensure our students are guided to be the very best they can be through school and beyond into fulfilling careers in the workforce.”
Zali Steggall, had the determination and commitment to become an Olympic Athlete: becoming the first woman and the first skier ever to win a Winter Olympic medal for Australia. She then channelled that focus into a career in Law and now Politics. She shared her personal journey with the students and encouraged them to dream big. “It’s important to set yourself a goal and to commit to it. There is nothing wrong with trying and failing – you just get back up, dust yourself off and try to do better the next time. Sometimes we learn more through our failures than we do with our successes.”
Jayne Persico, one of the Pathways and Partnerships Leaders at Catholic Schools Broken Bay co-ordinating the event, explained to students how lucky they were to hear from three extraordinary people, who were ordinary people when they were 15 or 16 years old, but who tapped into their strengths:
- Mr Peter Bambridge; Olympic Sponsorship and Hospitality Director based in New York City – who always had a passion for PEOPLE,
- Mr John Giancarlo, Director of Games Technology and Energy with the International Olympic Committee, based out of Switzerland, but joining us today from Tokyo (for obvious reasons … the Games start in 10 days. John always had an INQUISITIVE MIND and found an avenue to channel that gift.
- And of course, Ms Steggall, and her many talents outlined earlier.
Jayne asked students to dream and connect the dots in their own lives, “Because throughout today’s presentation… remember it’s highly likely that Brisbane will get the Games in 2032… you will be 26 years of age… you may have completed a degree or other tertiary qualification… you may have been in the workforce for a number of years… but for someone who worked on the Sydney 2000 Olympics like I did… if you get that chance you grab it with both hands, because it’s a once in lifetime opportunity that changes your life.”
Ms Steggall, thanked Catholic Schools Broken Bay, and the other guest speakers, Mr Bambridge and Mr Giancarlo for the opportunity to connect with students in her electorate and share her story.
Contact:
Jayne Persico, Pathways & Partnership Leader, Catholic Schools Broken Bay,
Mob: 0421 527 574, Email: jayne.persico@dbb.catholic.edu.au
PRESS RELEASE: Catholic Schools Broken Bay, Tuesday 13 July
