Emily Chapman Laing
Groups of bright Year 11 ladies from various Casey schools joined inspiring local women for the Women of Note Casey Mentor Breakfast on Friday 2 June.
Three Casey students were awarded The Kay Rankin Inspirational Young Woman award, given to students who set an example, give back to their community and are resilient and determined.
The winning recipient of the award was Narre Warren South P-12 College’s Syeda Tabassum.
Cranbourne East Secondary College student Wajiha Musa and Beaconhills College student Bridie Drane Johnson were given ‘Highly Commended’ versions of the award.
The Casey Mentor Breakfast is an opportunity for Year 11 students to meet women with career experiences in areas of interest to the students’ own career aspirations.
The breakfast “aims to encourage and inspire young women to reach for the best in themselves as they plan their career paths”.
The annual event is held due to the hard work of the Women of Note Committee and Co-Presidents Mary-Jo Cochrane and Cath Stocks.
After a brief introduction, the women were treated to a delicious breakfast of pastries, muffins, sliders, fruit, chia pudding and yoghurt and granola.
The delightful food was complemented by free tea and coffee.
The students and mentors were encouraged to engage with one another, and were given a list of potential talking points to kickstart their conversations.
Mentors queried students about their subject choices for Year 11 and 12, their career aspirations and how they are feeling as they get ready to enter the adult world.
Students were able to garner the life experiences and expertise of their mentors, asking how they got to where they are, what their jobs are like and what advice they had to offer.
After breakfast, the women sat back to listen to the incredible story of award winning product developer, Nicola Kropach.
Ms Kropach is the Brand Director and Product Development Specialist at Aesthetics RX and has worked in leadership positions within the beauty, skincare and wellness industry for over 20 years.
She has held leadership roles at Clarins Group, SILK Laser Clinics, Laser Clinics Australia and BLC Cosmetics.
In her address to the audience, Ms Kropach explained how she went from a young lady making the choice to go to beauty school over university, to a Brand Director of a major skin care company.
She provided the women before her with five key points that she believed built her success.
“Always believe in yourself, be very very good at setting goals, do the work that sets you up to achieve those goals, know your why and make sure you surround yourself with people you aspire to be like,” Ms Kropach said.
Ms Kropach’s speech was followed by a Q&A, where mentors and students alike picked her brain on career progression as a mother and wife, how to get recruiters to notice you, advice for start ups, agility in the corporate world and how to find a mentor.
“Young women don’t always have the opportunity to talk to women or hear from successful women like Nicola,” Women of Note Co-President Cath Stocks said.
“It’s inspiring to hear stories and it makes the girls feel like they can achieve anything.”
The students and mentors were given time to mingle beyond their table, finding connections to suit their interests and goals.
“These ladies are at a stage in their lives where they are about to write their story,” Ms Kropach said.
Sponsors of the event included Peake Real Estate, RMBL First Mortgage Lending and Investment, City of Casey Youth Services and Women of Note.
