In honour of International Women’s Day Loreto Normanhurst held our annual Women of Influence Event on Tuesday 8 March.

We had four inspiring alumnae, Marea O’Donnell (‘95), Clementine Churchill (‘07), Margarita Playoust-Colley (‘87) and Penny Graham (‘84) share their stories on their unique paths in life and work and the impact of their Loreto education.

Marea (‘95) completed a Bachelor of Arts and had a career in magazine publishing in Sydney and London. From there she completed a Master of Pharmacy at the University of Sydney and has been consulting in aged care since 2018. Marea stated that “I was empowered to achieve many things, in different areas and I was well set up to have diverse interests and find my path in the world”. She spoke about the importance of continued learning and education and how everything you learn has a positive influence.

Clementine (‘07) is the global head of marketing at Me&U with experience in different corporate environments including Arnott’s Group. Clementine spoke of freedom and how “freedom is the notion of being able to grow, learn, risk, explore, be and question”. Loreto gave her the freedom to not follow the status quo, she states that “having the freedom to grow, learn, explore and take risks is actually where you learn to flourish”.

Margarita (‘87) completed extensive study in teaching, acting and dance all over the world from Indonesia to San Francisco. She completed a Master’s in Applied Science, majoring in Cultural Action. Passion was a strong concept in Margarita’s lecture “search out your passion and what you love and be bold enough to follow that”. Margarita discussed the importance to be you and follow your inspiration.

Penny (‘84) has had an extensive career in global infrastructure and investment. She sits on the Boards of several profit and not-for-profit organisations and is currently working as the CEO of CareerSeekers New Australian Internship Program. Learning and education was a key point that Penny discussed. She expressed that everything can be taken away from you, but you’ll always have your education and the skills you have learned. “Your mindset, your confidence, your ability to be open to new things, your inquisitiveness, your sense of justice they are the skills that will stay with you and get you through life”.

We thank our four inspiring panellists for their authentic and motivating lectures. It is clear to see that these women honour their Loreto Normanhurst education by continuing to be lifelong learners and embracing diversity of perspective as they follow their passions. Their stories brought to life the graduate attributes we foster at Loreto Normanhurst- they are clearly women of faith, service, voice, creativity, grit, and independent thinking.

If you missed the 'Women of Influence' 2022 Event, you can watch the livestream recording by clicking the link here.