Rebecca had an interest in journalism from a young age, but it was a visit to La Trobe’s Bundoora campus in Year 11 that helped set her career in motion.
“There was a stall about the VCE Plus program that caught my eye,” she recalls. “Given journalism was one of the subject areas I could apply for, and it aligned with my interests, I thought, what’s the harm in applying?”
Rebecca was accepted and began her university journey while finishing Year 12. It didn’t take long for her to realise she’d found the right place.
“I enjoyed the first two subjects so much that choosing to complete the rest of my degree at La Trobe was an easy decision,” she says. “The journalism program stood out to me because of its strong practical focus, especially the opportunity to gain journalism skills through student-run publications like Upstart and Rabelais.”
“The internships I completed during my degree allowed me to gain an understanding of the field I was about to enter and apply the skills that I learned to real newsroom environments. The tutors and lecturers’ real life working experience was also valuable.”
Rebecca is now working as an education reporter at the Herald Sun, where she covers early learning, school and tertiary news, as well as research in the education sector.
“A typical day could see me writing profiles on schools that do things differently, holding our education leaders to account, good news stories on the school’s crossing lady or social support dog, and annual reports.”
“I love that no two days are the same and that I can make a difference through my work,” she adds. “I often hear what happens after a story is published; sometimes a problem that’s dragged on for months finally gets resolved. That’s when I know the work we do matters.”
