From the Futures Team
Futures Update – Week 5
On Tuesday, we hosted a Global Pathways Information evening online to the Pymble parent community. We were enthused with the number of registrations for the event and the level of interest in overseas university pathways. Thank you to the Futures team and Karl Schmidt for sharing valuable information to our families on how to support their students. Further information will be updated on the Futures website to inform parents of the avenues of support at Pymble.
I recently visited the Sydney Office of Schneider Electric in Macquarie Park with our Deputy Principal, Christine Kenny and other key members of staff from Pymble Ladies’ College. We toured the facilities and learnt about the graduate and internship pathways for students offered by Schneider Electric. We also discovered how current students at Pymble could benefit from visiting the Innovation Hub and learning about technology developments in the sustainability and automation industry.
We also had University of the Arts, London, visit the College to talk to students and deliver workshops about opportunities to further their passions and interests in the creative and design fields at an international university. Thank you to Katrina O’Kelly for organising this visit.
This week, three students are also on work experience at TATA Consultancy Services (TCS) in North Sydney discovering aspects of the cybersecurity industry, we look forward to reading their reflections when they return. In this issue, we also share other students’ work experiences at veterinary practices. Planning is underway for our second year of the Data Science Work Immersion Program in partnership with Optus. For further details on work experience opportunities, please visit our Work Experience section on the Futures@Pymble site.
Don’t forget to register for our upcoming US College Admissions Conference if you are interested in this event. Further details of internal and external events are also advertised below.
Kim Maksimovic
Director of Futures and Partnerships (K-12)
Internal Pymble Events / Masterclasses
The events during school time are open to interested students in the year groups listed.
There are some afterschool events parents are also welcome to attend.
Registration links are under the topic title.
| Date | University (and general info link) | Topic (and rego link) | Time | Year Groups |
| Friday 22 August | USYD Scholarships | Masterclass Signup | MBS | Yr 11 – 12 Students |
| Friday 29 August | Pathways to University and TAFE with Prue Dawson, Head of Learning Support | Masterclass Signup | MBS | Yr 11 – 12 Students |
| Thursday 4 September | US College Admissions Conference | Register here | 6pm -8pm In person / on-site | Yr 5-12 Students and Parents |
| Friday 5 September | Cyber Security | Masterclass Signup | MBS | Yr 9-12 Students |
External Important Dates
University Open Days – use links to register
| Date | University |
| 30 August | Uni Notre Dame |
| 30 August | UTS |
| 30 August | Uni Sydney |
| 6 September | ACU North Sydney |
| 6 September | UNSW |
| 6 September | UTAS – Rozelle |
External Opportunities
New Creative Production and Communication Courses at UTS
Location: Online
Date: August 21, 2025
Organisation: Torrens University Australia
Location: Torrens Surry Hills Campus
Date: August 23, 2025
Medicine and Dentistry (USyd)
26 August 2025 – 5.50 pm (online)
Register here to learn about the application process for Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Sydney, and explore pathways to a dynamic career in health.
US Undergraduate Pathways General Session (Education USA)
August 26, 2025 – 6.45 pm (online)
Run by EDUSA this general information session will provide valuable insights to help you explore options and learn how to apply to US Colleges.
Brown, Columbia, Penn and Princeton Information Session
September 3, 2025 – 9.00pm AEST (online)
Four Ivy League schools will hold a joint virtual session for students and families about their respective universities and the highly selective college admissions process. Topics will include: academic programs, campus activities, student life, admissions policies and financial aid.
Projects Abroad – Volunteering for Teens Programs – information session (online)
Tue 26 August 2025 – 6:30pm
Become a teen volunteer abroad and travel the world, making new friends and supporting global initiatives. Our teen volunteer abroad programs are tailor-made for 15-to-18-year-olds with safety, learning, and fun at their core. You could contribute to wildlife conservation efforts, gain medical work experience in hospitals, or support the education of children around the world.
Work Experience / Immersion
VETERINARY
Narrabri Vet
Adison Hartog-Smith – Year 11
The week I spent at Narrabri vets was one of the most insightful weeks of my life. Not only did it provide me with possible answers about my future, but also some of the things I could take away and use in my everyday life. The week was full of ups and downs. Some of the highs included going out to my neighbour’s property and testing the bulls, as they are going to be sold next week, or going out to the polocrosse competition to look at an injured horse. However, there were some downfalls, that included a wallaby and a joey coming in for separate reasons. Unfortunately the joey was hit by a car and shattered its pelvis, so the veterinary team thought it best to just save it the pain, and put it down. The wallaby came in already deceased, but the people who brought it in wanted a formal autopsy, where the cause of death was determined to be a broken neck (see x-ray below).
An extremely unfortunate event was that we had to put an extremely sick dog down. This dog had extremely large tumors, and it wouldn’t have survived much longer. Although this was sad, it was also a great experience (as bad as it sounds) because this is the reality of the job. My week also involved looking after the resident cat Neo, and walking some extremely fluffy Golden Retrievers, as well as helping the vets hold some dogs down. I also got to sit in on some surgeries that were happening, like some dog spays, some dog and cat castrations, some horse castrations and even a cancer removal surgery. The extremely supportive staff at the vets walked me through everything, from reading x-rays to looking at bloods and cleaning cages. I am extremely grateful for this opportunity and could not recommend it more!
Gordon Vet
Arana Roy – Year 12
Over the school holidays, I got the delightful opportunity to attend a week of work experience Gordon Vet Hospital. During my time there, I was able to observe a variety of different procedures performed by the veterinarians and vet nurses, including dental cleanings and teeth removals, ultrasounds, x-rays and various surgeries including an exploratory laparotomy and a TPLO (tibial plateau levelling osteotomy). It was really interesting the preparation and execution of the surgeries. I also monitored the animals whilst under anaesthesia during the surgeries. During the morning half of the day, I got to help out around the animal wards, where I cleaned cages and fed the dogs and cats in boarding.
It was really interesting to learn about the different experiences of the staff, and what they have seen during their time in animal care, along with having the opportunity to talk with the veterinarians and learn about their education and expertise. When performing the surgeries, the vets were constantly talking me though what they were doing so I was able to understand and learn from them. All the vets and nurses were extremely knowledgeable, friendly and able to answer any questions I had for them. It was really lovely to see their dynamic and the way in which everyone worked together. It was an amazing experience and one I will never forget.
