Our Alumni

Flynn

After graduating from Strathallan, Flynn started a Bachelor of Engineering (HONS) at the University of Auckland in 2019. He had a smooth first year, where he experienced various engineering specializations in the general first-year papers offered. The math and science courses he studied at Strathallan were excellent in preparing him for much of the content covered in his first-year papers. This allowed him to focus on adjusting to the new lifestyle of university and learning to live independently.

Flynn was fortunate to receive some scholarships for university, which helped cover the costs of his first-year accommodation at University Hall - Towers. Flynn says “I am immensely grateful for that environment, as it was a great way to meet many people in similar situations who were all learning how to adapt to living away from home for the first time. I made many friends who stayed with me throughout my degree and joined me here in Sydney, Australia. Another perk of living in the halls was having three meals a day provided, especially for someone still learning to cook.”

During his final year at Strathallan, he chose to study AS Computer Science, which he came to appreciate significantly, as that course not only prepared him for his first-year coding paper but also helped him realise my great interest and curiosity about programming software. At the end of his first year of university, he chose to specialize in software engineering, and his grades were good enough to gain acceptance into the cohort. Thus, his software engineering journey began in Flynn’s second year, which coincided with some significant global events, leading to the unprecedented “online” university experience that would be prevalent for most of his time at the University.

Overall, his time at university was crucial in helping me acquire the skills needed to land my graduate job, which he has been enjoying ever since. “The advice I would give is that university is so much more than just the papers and content you study. I joined many technology clubs on campus, which hosted events throughout the year, helping to teach students how to structure their resumes, organize hackathons for coding practice in teams, and even provide mock interviews with actual industry engineers from various companies that sponsored these clubs. These experiences familiarized me with the process of interviewing for tech companies and allowed me to land my internship with Canva in my penultimate year”.

High school was an excellent way to prepare me for the course content needed in my first year of university, which allowed me to adapt to the new lifestyle and learn what methods work for me regarding how to study and pass my courses effectively. University then helped me gain the knowledge required for my job, and the clubs on campus improved my soft skills, which helped me secure an internship while I was still studying, ultimately leading to a full-time graduate position at Canva, an Australian online graphic design software company. 
Sounds like Flynn is living the His dream.

Julia

Julia is Strathallan 2016 Alumni, and she followed a path that is still very popular for our students – Physiotherapy, she graduated from AUT with a bachelor of health science (Physiotherapy) in 2020. It was a bit of a journey with her final clinical placement year being interrupted by Covid-19!

Julia says “The physiotherapy department at AUT was excellent, with amazing lecturers who were very supportive and knowledgeable. “
Julia commented how well prepared she was from Strathallan “first year uni exams were a breeze thanks to Cambridge, I had good study habits and essay writing skills as well as being used to the pressure of exams being worth 100% of the grade”.

Julia was fortunate to be awarded the AUT Vice Chancellors Significant Student Scholarship, having her tuition fees covered for three out of four years of the degree took a lot of pressure off her financially so she could focus on her studies.  She also achieved the AUT Edge Award - which is kind of like Duke of Edinburgh but prepares students for entry into the workforce. It challenges and encourages you to develop skills at AUT through volunteering, leadership and employability activities.

For the first three years after graduating Julia worked at a local musculoskeletal physio clinic (Pukekohe Physio) and has recently started a new job in Hamilton working a hybrid role - part time in clinic and part time in the community, travelling all over the Waikato to assess and treat clients in their homes or at the gym or pool. When she envisioned her future career, she always thought she’d be the next All Blacks physio but now her passion lies with helping everyday people who have experienced trauma and just want to get back to living life. 

Julia is another great example of how our students are making their mark in the world.  On a side note, whilst Julia was at Strathallan she met Chris, also in her year, and 2025 they are getting married.  Congratulations Julia and Chris. 

Jodi Tong

Jodie Tong graduated from Strathallan in 2015 and studied a Bachelor of Science majoring in Information Systems at the University of Auckland. Once she graduated, she was fortunate to be accepted to the Graduate Program at Fujitsu in Melbourne, Australia in 2019. Jodie gained skills in professionalism and dabbled in all aspects of the business, with an aim to figure out which area she saw herself building a successful career. By late 2021 she moved to the consultancy world, with a company called Ippon, which was more customer focused, doing short term projects rotating from one client to another. Jodie is now a Senior Experience Designer helping clients create intuitive and user-centred designs that enhance the overall experience of a product such as an app. 

Jodie also runs a small business with her sister Jowyn, (2021 Alumni) bringing real fruit ice cream to Melbourne under a very fitting name - Jojo's Real Fruit Ice Cream! Jodie and Jowyn keep busy swirling ice cream on the weekends at markets across Melbourne and sharing a favourite kiwi treat with the Aussies.

Jodie believes her education at Strathallan prepared her to tackle the real world. The Cambridge curriculum gave her an advantage throughout university as she had covered topics at school that her classmates were learning for the first time at university. The curriculum and the preparation strategies for the Cambridge exams helped to close the learning gap and ultimately positioned her for success. In her final years at Strathallan she was a part of the leadership team - house leader of Angus, and as she reflects, says   “I am so grateful for the opportunity and the invaluable soft skills I gained. Being in a leadership role gave me the experience to manage, effectively communicate and collaborate with higher level management and team members, a tool I now use day-to-day. My time at Strathallan will always be cherished and I thank the teachers that guided me and my peers whom I shared the journey with” Go Angus Go!

Pooree (Jumy) Suksamai

Pooree (Jumy) Suksamai studied at Strathallan from 2014 until 2019. Jumy was an international student from Thailand, who totally encompassed Strathallan life and got involved in leadership, sport and culture within the school.  Jumy left after Y13 and has been in Daytona Beach, FL since 2021 at an Aviation school called Phoenix East Aviation. During this time, he has obtained his ratings to become a pilot. He now holds a commercial pilot license with instructor ratings being able to fly and teach in single engine and multi engine airplanes! He is currently working as a flight instructor for his school. He plans to stay in America for a bit longer and is now applying to Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, to get his bachelor's degree.  This is testament to life as a journey, you never stop learning. It sounds like Jumy is living his dream.

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