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     DONALD GORDON

“I recall a very interesting case where a funeral parlour was being operated from a home.”

I am a senior instructor and course leader for legal practice at Victoria University, director on a Victorian government board, law author and run my own law firm.

I was born in Fiji. My father grew up in a very poor rural farming community, he was very studious and bright, which saw him cross the ocean by boat to England, where he studied to be a lawyer through London University and the Middle Temple. He instilled in me the value of education and hard work.

Tragically my father passed away a few days before my tenth birthday in Fiji. Continue reading →

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   MATTHEW KARAKOULAKIS

“My wife is Brazilian, my father is Greek, and my mother is Aboriginal.”

I am the principal solicitor at my firm AMK Law.

I knew I wanted to be a lawyer from an early age. I was drawn to it because of the influence I believed lawyers wielded, and their ability to prevent others from being pushed around. I liked the idea of being able to take a strong stand and defend my views.

After high school I did a double degree at Flinders University – Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice & Bachelor of Commerce. As part of my university study, I had to get my Practical Legal Training (PLT) done. This is a final step that teaches law students the practical side of working in law: dealing with clients, business aspects, administration and record keeping requirements. Continue reading →

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     KARA BRAMHAM

“You have to prove yourself as a young lawyer. You have to show that you’re not overly emotionally involved, that you’re tough and you’re switched on.”

I am a lawyer.

My dad is a lawyer, so I’ve always been fascinated with his work. I loved legal studies at school, so after high school I went straight into law at Deakin University to follow in my dad’s footsteps. I did a double degree in Commerce and Law, which was great for me, as the Commerce aspect broke up the tediousness of the law subjects.

Studying law was a lot tougher than I imagined;  memorizing cases and learning how to apply principles in case law and sections within legislation to facts. Continue reading →

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     LACHLAN O’BRIEN

“When it comes to application time, people go into a frenzy, pumping out dozens of resumes and applications.”

I am a first-year lawyer at Hunt & Hunt Lawyers.

Even though I grew up around law, with my father and some other family being lawyers, I wasn’t 100% set on law as a kid. But I started doing Legal Studies in year 11, which got me hooked. Law controls so much of our lives, if you think about it: it governs the way people interact, how business is run – even how the country is run.

Because I didn’t have the marks to get straight into a Law degree, I decided to do a Bachelor of Legal Studies at Latrobe. It’s related to law, but more as a sociological study of law, which I thought would be interesting. Continue reading →

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     EUGENE DOLGIKH

“I might have actually helped to save a life through one of the safety messages I created.”

I am a writer, currently working as a Communications Advisor at the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources (DEDJTR).

My family emigrated to Australia 25 years ago, when I was eight. From an early age, I enjoyed writing and literature. An early success that I can remember was winning a spelling contest in primary school, having been in the country for only 6 months. So it was nice to know that I’ve got a strength in a particular area. Continue reading →

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     PRODIP ROY

“If you need to, sell your blood. But never stop your child from attending school”.

I am a Library Officer (Digital Collections) Copyright, Digitisation and Repositories at the RMIT University in Melbourne.

My life was full of struggle since childhood. I was born in Bangladesh. My parents never encouraged me to go to school due to an extreme poverty in family; there was no food to eat every day, no money to buy study materials, pay school fees. I had to help my parents with farming to survive, and often my mother would tell me off for taking the time to study. Continue reading →

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     SAM KORBAN

“Your point of difference might be that you’re always available.”

I am a finance broker.

In high school, like most people, I had no idea what I wanted to do. Finance was the furthest thing from my mind. I graduated with marks that weren’t lousy, but weren’t great, either. I did a legal studies course at RMIT, thinking it may be a pathway to a law degree.

That didn’t quite work out. I started doing temp jobs at various law firms. Basically, I was carrying folders and filing for barristers. It was boring. Continue reading →

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     TERRY BARNES

“And the more I looked at it, the more I saw: yes, it is a winner! It’s genius!”

I run a RAMS Home Loans franchise.

In year 12, I had two different music teachers: one of them was horrendous and one was really good. So I decided there should be more good music teachers in the world, and I would become one of them. I liked music enough, and didn’t know what else to do with my life, so that seemed like a good idea.

I did a year and a half of a primary school teaching course, which ended up being a disaster. Whilst I was OK at the academic part of it, I found out during the practical components that I was no good with kids! After failing the teaching round, I left and joined my dad’s business, installing electronics like security systems, antennas and home theatre systems. Continue reading →

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All photos provided by Rochelle Lindsay

     ROCHELLE LINDSAY

“ED would be a bloodbath night after night.”

I’m a registered nurse working with aboriginal peoples in remote Australia.

When I had to fill in my university application, I wasn’t completely sure what I was going to do. I put down for both nursing and for a Bachelor of Arts. I was accepted to Griffith University Gold Coast for nursing and started uni in 1997. I have not looked back since.

I loved uni and did quite well. I chose to do my grad year at Longreach as both my grandparents lived in rural areas. I quite liked the idea of doing a rural placement. Little did I know that 17 years later I would still be out bush (despite promising my best friend to be back in a year!) Continue reading →

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     SHIKHA MONDAL

“From my heart, I care for the patients; I feel a deep need to help them.”

I work as a registered nurse at Epworth Hospital in Melbourne.

When I finished year twelve in Bangladesh, my family insisted that I go into nursing. It wasn’t my first choice at all. I wanted to be a university lecturer, an academic. In my country, if you’re a good student, you study engineering, or medicine. Usually nursing is for those who are not the best students, or students from poor socio-economic background in Bangladesh.

But my parents sent me to study nursing because they thought that as a nurse, I’d be guaranteed at least a government job, and so I’d always be able to work and survive. I applied for the biggest medical college in Bangladesh. I sat my entrance exam very successfully, and got a chance to study nursing with scholarship. Continue reading →